Pet ownership has risen to an all-time high, with 72.9 million households owning at least one pet (see graphic, courtesy of our friends at Vet Depot).  This accounts for nearly 64% of the households in the United States.  According to the American Pet Products Association Survey, it is estimated that pet owners will spend $52.87 billion on their pets in 2012, an increase of over $10 billion in the last 5 years.

Based off these numbers, this is the perfect time to be in the pet industry.  Because of the love people have for their pets, the pet sitting business has been pretty much recession proof.  In fact, it could be argued that the recession has actually helped the average pet sitter or dog walker.  First, because of downsizing, many people are working longer hours and are forced to hire a dog walker for their dogs.  In addition, although many people are not going away as much, they will often go away for shorter trips and opt for a pet sitter instead of boarding their pets for longer periods of time.  If you ever have thought about starting a pet sitting or dog walking business, but don’t know where to begin, Sleepy Paws Pet Care can help.   With our unique licensing program, you can have your own Sleepy Paws Pet Care territory with no initial investment!  You read that correctly, there are no upfront costs to become a Sleepy Paws Pet Care licensee.  And with very low monthly flat fees (less than the price of dinner for two), you will get many the benefits of a franchise, without the exorbitant costs involved.  As a Sleepy Paws Pet Care licensee, here is some of what you will get:

•   Your own Sleepy Paws branded website.  You will have a Sleepy Paws Pet Care website customized for your location.  This will be used with your domain and will be searchable through our Site Locator and links on our corporate site.  This will set you apart from your competition.  
• Additional marketing support through our Facebook and Twitter pages and our sister site, The Pet Sitter Network. 
• Use of our vanity toll-free number, (888) 485-PAWS.  Like the website, the toll-free number will make you stand apart from your competition.  This alone is a $39/month value! 
• Setup on Google Places and Yahoo Local search engines. 
• The rights to use Sleepy Paws Pet Care logo, trademark, and color scheme in your territory for advertising and marketing purposes. 
• Access to business forms, contracts, marketing materials and more on the owner’s section of our website.
• Plus much, much more!

If you would like to know more about the Sleepy Paws Pet Care opportunity, check out our licensing website at www.sleepypawspetcare.com and the Frequently Asked Questions page.   You may also contact our Licensing Director, Dave Westwood, at (888) 485-7297.