Must Love Dogs
This Week: We are exploring the odd jobs you can do that dogs.
If you are more of a cat person, I still think you’ll dig the gigs below. But chances are you know 1 or 875 people in your life who love love love dogs. Send them this. They will adore you forever.
Today, we’ll chat about how you can make cash while being around dogs all day. On Wednesday, we’ll break down some really rad entrepreneurs doing odd things that relate to their love of dogs. On Friday, I’ll share odd jobs hiring right now that pay you to spend quality time around dogs.
Know someone who’d get a kick out this newsletter? Share! Share! Share
I am sitting on the couch, with my dog Goofy sleeping on my knee, thinking about this:
I love her more than most people, places, and things.
She’s a pandemic puppy (we got her in March of 2020), which means for the majority of her life, my husband and I have spent 24/7 by her side. We hardly ever leave her alone and when we do, wellllllllll Goofy is not happy (thank you, Ring camera for showing us proof of this).
My husband and I both work from home but if we didn’t and we had to start going back to an office, I’d be really upset about having to leave this pup behind - even though I know she’d eventually adapt and enjoy time apart from me.
I just think my life is better lived with Goofy by my side.
Okay, hello, do I sound obsessed with my dog?
Good. I am and I won’t hide it.
That pure love is what prompted this week’s theme.
I found a *bunch* of odd gigs for you that pay you to be around dogs.
So if you’re someone who is so over being around PEOPLE, perhaps this is the career change you desperately need.
There are 470 million dog lovers in the world. Here are the jobs for those people:
Canine Hydrotherapist
Perfect if you: love dogs & being in the pool
Job: Hydrotherapists apply water therapy techniques to help dogs recover from injury. For dogs, hydrotherapy usually consists of either swimming or walking in water, whether in shallow water along the beach or on an underwater treadmill. Certified canine hydrotherapists are required to complete and pass a regulated course given and taught by instructors who have the authority, license and legal right to certify and train individuals. These instructors more than likely have years experience and 1000+ hours in the hydrotherapy pool
Pay: $18,000 to $23,000
Pet Adoption Counselor
Perfect if you: love dogs & helping them find good homes
Job: Pet adoption counselors typically work in shelters and help prospective owners find suitable pets in need of loving homes. They might also take on additional administrative duties as an animal shelter employee, like finalizing adoptions, walking dogs, or answering phones.
Pay: $23,000
Dog Show Handler
Perfect if you: ever wished you were in the movie, Best in Show
Job: Dog show handlers are experts in the field of presenting dogs in dog shows. The AKC has a registered handlers program for more information.
Pay: $26,000 - $58,000
Dog Massage Therapist
Perfect if you: like helping dogs feel better
Job: Canine massage is a therapeutic discipline that involves directly working with all of the soft tissues of a dog's body in order to assist the dog in achieving relief from a variety of physical and emotional challenges, including muscular soreness, chronic stress, and more. You can complete certification for this in 9-11 months.
Pay: $56,024 and $138,945
Pet Communicator (AKA Psychic)
Perfect if you like: to read dog’s minds and are good at it
Job: What a communicator does extends beyond the novelty of finding out your animal’s likes (brown treats, apparently) and dislikes (when your boyfriend is near you) and into heavier subjects, like the sources of behavioral abnormalities and illness. Some also offer the service of finding lost pets, but that is a bit more specialized.
Pay: A half-hour phone session is generally around $75, but it can be double that, or more. A half-hour session from a communicator in Michigan who goes by “Lorrie the Pet Psychic” is $105; a full hour is $210. Laura Stinchfield, a communicator in California, charges $150 for a half hour, $275 for a full hour, and $550 for two hours.
Dog Colorist
Perfect if you like: to do hair
Job: Professionals sometimes use non-toxic dyes in filmmaking, for example, when a script calls for a dog of a certain color that can’t be found naturally — like an actor coloring his hair to fit a role.
Pay: $50,000
Dog Photographer
Perfect if you like: to take gnarly photos
Job: Get out your camera and take photos of other people’s dogs. Just like influencers hire photographer to take their photos for Instagram, humans hire people to take picture of their dogs so they can look at those photos for and feel extended happiness.
Pay: Varies and based on similar rates you’d charge human clients.
Would you want to work around dogs?
Back on Wednesday with more ideas and ways to get you an odd gig that’s dog-friendly.
Until then, spread the word. Will you?
Jen Glantz is a whimsical entrepreneur, 3x author, podcast host, and all-around pizza-obsessed goofball.
Here's what she is currently working on:
You're Not Getting Any Younger Podcast
The First Years of Marriage Newsletter
The Monday Pick-Me-Up Newsletter
Jen & Juice Business & Life Coaching