Jack Russel of All Trades

This position is great for someone looking for supplemental income and has a flexible schedule and regular availability. It is not suitable for someone needing full-time employment. The job will entail a variety of pet visits including cat sitting, dog sitting, dog walks, bird sitting, creature sitting, fish sitting, watering plants, help with office tasks, filing, data entry, errands, special work projects, holiday coverage, and other tasks that may come up.

Minimum availability is 3 days per week, ideally the same days each week, and would likely be split up between morning pet visits or walks, midday walks, evening pet visits or walks with office tasks sprinkled in. How much you are scheduled will depend on your availability, office project demands, and customer demands.

The work hours will be up and down depending on client demand and can be more seasonal. So there may be times when there is very limited work available and other times where it gets very busy and hectic. Typically we are busiest around major holidays, spring break, over long weekends, and during the summer. We also have a number of regular dogs walks (on-leash, private walks only) that we do every week. The most demand for that is around lunchtime Monday to Friday but some walks are in the morning, afternoon, or evening and can be on weekends too.

Morning visits are typically between 7:30 to 10 am, midday visits are between 10 to 3 pm , and evening visits are between 5 to 9 pm.

All pets are visited in their own home so your own vehicle is required to be able to drive around town. We offer drop in cat and creature sitting, drop in dog sitting and on-leash dog walks in Abbotsford and Mission BC. This means we visit the pet for either meal times, potty breaks, exercise walks, or to dispense medication at a specific time. We stay for a period of time, usually between 20 to 60 minutes which is chosen by their human. When people are away we take care of their plants, water gardens in the summer, bring in mail, and packages and ensure the home is safe and secure when we leave. Cats are typically one or two visits per day. Dogs can be 3 or 4 visits per day. And the majority of regular dog walks are around lunch time but we do have morning, afternoon, and evening dog walk clients as well.

We are a growing business so there is the potential for increased hours and responsibility as we get more clients. And, the greater flexibility and availability you have the more we can assign to you.

And, while it is super fun to hang out with pets and it can be easy for the most part there is a high level of responsibility and care needed for this job. So only applicants who really want to work with pets long term and are dedicated to a high level of care should apply.

Basic pet care includes feeding, giving fresh water, potty breaks or on-leash dog walks, cleaning up cat litter or spot cleaning terrariums, cleaning up pet messes or doing a poop patrol in the yard, giving the pet medicine if needed, using our online software while on the go to send photos, messages, and update the client. It also includes the fun stuff like cuddles, playtime, and bonding with the pets you meet over time.

Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- cleaning up after sick pets (pee, diarrhea, or vomit)
- general health monitoring
- ensuring the pet is always safe and avoiding high risk situations (such as other dogs, off-leash dogs, busy traffic, wildlife, and so on)
- ensuring the human client's home is safe and secure
- taking care of plants
- bringing in mail or packages
- alerting clients if something is wrong
- staying in communication with clients when they are away
- replying to questions after the visit is over
- taking and sending clients photos of the pets sometimes daily or even multiple times a day
- handling emergency situations such as a sick or injured pet or a pet that has escaped or gets lost
- updating information for the client or pet and keeping the other Helpurrs in the loop for any injuries, illness, or behaviour of concern

Additional office tasks and projects may include:

- checking and responding to email inquiries
- data entry
- filing and organizing
- answering client questions
- proof reading and editing
- sending invoices and following up with late payments
- social media
- website updates
- taking photos
- helping with mailouts
- marketing and networking with businesses
- assisting with hiring, conducting phone interviews, and onboarding new Helpurrs

Benefits of working with the Furryornot gang include:

- Joy and happiness
- Help reduce the stress or anxiety of pets and their humans
- Develop strong friendships with the pets
- Catch health problems early
- Learn cool stuff about animals
- Have a fun and challenging job that is always interesting and unique
- Create a schedule that fits in with your lifestyle
- Get your steps in and build up your strength too
- Put your animal and people skills to the test and learn lots as you go
- Lots of laughs over the silly things pets do
- Get to know some cool people who all love animals
- Work outside more and enjoy nature and sunshine (or put your rain gear to good use)