The summer is the main time of the year that teens can focus on making the most money. For one thing, you don’t have to worry about school during the summer months and hopefully  it shouldn’t be difficult to get your parents to agree to you getting a job or starting a business. But what kind of a job should you start? Well we think that a dog walking business is a pretty good business for teens to start, and here are 20 good reasons why:

1. You’re too young to get a job or you’re having trouble finding one – here at TMMI we get a lot of kids saying they are too young to get a job and yet they still want to make their own money. Well, one of the the ways you can make money is by starting a dog walking business. It may not be the coolest or the most glamorous job in the world, but who cares? The most important thing is that you are making your own money and you’re learning to be financially independent. Also, if you’re a dog lover and have a special ability to relate to pets, then it’s the perfect business for you.
2. People spend big money on their pets – according to smallbiztrends.com, “Americans spend $10 billion a year on pet supplies and over $3 billion on pet services — and those numbers are projected to grow in 2010″. In other words, Americans love their dogs!  So what does this mean to a kid trying to make their own money? Well it means financial independence, dude!  You can capitalize on this and make a business that caters to people who love their dogs but don’t have the time to walk them as much as they should.
3. You can make anywhere between $5-$20 an hour – You can make your own money and you don’t have to worry about asking your parents for the cash you need. In your own dog walking business you can make up t0 $20 an hour depending on where in the States you live. And the best part is, you don’t need much start-up capital to do it.
4. Great working hours – working hours for dog walkers are great! Usually from about 12-5 pm every day is when most dogs need to be taken out. Those are the perfect working hours and you still have your mornings off to find other jobs. Or, you can just hang out with your friends.
5. No special training required – one of the great things about starting this kind of business is you don’t need any special training. You should have a basic understanding of dogs and pets in general. And like I mentioned earlier, you should relate to animals really well. Experience with dogs is also something that you should have and you should be familiar with warning signs of dogs, and know how to handle a leash. And of course, you should make sure you can handle the strength and size of the dogs you’re going to be walking.
6. No start-up capital needed – you don’t need much money, if any, to get started.You can get started just by talking to your neighbors and word of mouth. If you have a little cash to spare, you can start your dog walking business on 25 bucks or less to get yourself  an appointment book for making your schedule and business cards or flyers for spreading the word.
7. No license required – in most states, you don’t need a license to be a dog walker. Yipee!
8. You can easily add on extra services – the dog walking business can easily be combined with other services such as basic pet sitting, dog grooming and lawn & yard care; for which you can charge extra money.
9. It’s a valuable community service – the dog walking service is actually a very important service that you can offer to people in your neighborhood. Let’s face it, many people just don’t have enough time on their hands to take their dogs out for a walk. Dogs suffer in this situation because they end up spending a lot of time locked up in the house. The dog may also have a lot of high energy and may need to spend more time outdoors. This is where your services as a dog walker are needed. If you still have trouble finding customers, I give you 3 Surefire Ways of Landing Your First Customers.
10. It’s great exercise and you get to spend a lot of time in the outdoors – if you like pets and you like the outdoors, there’s really no better way to spend your summer. And guess what? You’ll be making money doing it!

And I thought it would be interesting to add the the following 10 reasons from Lindsay Stordahl’s site, That Mutt, who gives her reasons why she quit her job as a newspaper copy editor and page designer last year, to start a dog running business  (good for you Lindsay!).

1. You’re doing things you  love.
2. You  have more freedom
3. You’re not wasting your life away at a desk.
4. You’re never bored.
5. You hang out with dogs.
6. You can take vacation from your work whenever you want.
7. You don’t have to ask permission for anything.
8. You stay healthy and in good shape (no really! Studies show that people who have contact with pets are healtier and happier than people who don’t.)
9. No one tells you what to do.
10. You’re not helping someone else get rich.

About Steve: I'm 18 years old and my goal is to one day become a millionaire! I’m really into business and entrepreneurship. I love being independent and having my own money so I'm always finding ways to earn more. In between school and homework, I write articles and maintain pages on facebook, myspace, twitter and youtube for TMMI! Continue reading here.

20 Good Reasons Why You Should Start A Dog Walking Business This Summer, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

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