The result of the hourly wage calculator serves as a guide. Simply adjust the calculated basic hourly rate of pay for pet care in your area using the following information to your individual requirements.

Amount of Pet Care

• Do you need a pet caregivers on a regular basis or only on certain occasions?
• Which tasks do you a pet caregivers to perform?
• Are the pet products and materials provided or will the pet caregiver be expected to provide them?

Location

• Major metropolitan areas tend to have higher pet care rates than rural areas.
• Towns can also have a much higher pet care rate than rural areas, especially if they serve a large commuter population and are close to a major city.

Number of pets

• Keeping an eye on 1 pet is very different from watching 2 or 3 or more pets. Pay should reflect this. Your pet carer needs to control a larger group, deal with pets interacting with each other, and be more aware of group dynamics than if they are watching 1 pet.

Additional Tasks

• Additional responsibilities such as cleaning your pets and shopping for them will require a higher hourly rate.
• Additional tasks will also command a higher hourly rate - make sure you confirm these with your pet caregiver at the recruitment stage.

Transportation

• Is your pet carer required to drive to run errands? Are they using your car or theirs?
• If they are using their car, you'll want to offer extra compensation for the fuel used whilst driving. Be sure you provide them with petrol money if they are using your car and it needs filling up. Some pet owners offer their pet carer mileage compensation if they are commuting a long distance.

Experience

• Experienced pet caregivers get paid more than those with less experience. Paying more for experience can get you a pet caregivers who can better meet you and your pets needs--and give you peace of mind too.

Qualifications

• If your pet has special veterinary needs, you'll want a pet carer that has specific qualification to match your needs. Expect to pay more per hour than the basic rate in your local area. It's worth it.