According to market research from Technavio, the global pet service market growth in 2024 is estimated to reach 8.89%. From 2024 to 2028, the incremental growth of the market size is estimated to be AUD 2.4 billion (USD1.57 billion).
The growth of the market can be attributed to the rising phenomenon of treating pets as part of family and providing them with personalised and high-quality products and services.
To meet the growing demand and the customised needs, websites and apps are developed, on which pet owners can book and personalise pet services. Leading platforms include Rover Pet Products, Getwag, PetBacker, Pawshake, care.com, and Mad Paws.
Two dogs meet in a park. The social life of animals is an important part of their wellbeing. Photo by Yiran Sun.
Rover, one of the earliest entrants into the market, was founded in 2011, and is based is the US. Its app and website have connected pet owners with dog walkers and pet sitters in the US, the UK, Canada, and Europe. PetBacker, first launched in the U.S. in October 2016 by two Malaysians, is one of the very few platforms of its kind globally that is mobile-first. A range of pet services are provided on the app, including dog walking, pet sitting, a pet taxi, as well as grooming, daycare and boarding services. Pawshake started in Belgium and expanded its business to Australia in 2014. According to its website, globally the platform now has 30,000+ registered pet sitters and 1,000,000 daily bookings.
Melbourne is blessed with many green spaces where dogs and their owners can exercise freely. Photo by Yiran.
Sydney-based Mad Paws, remains Australia’s largest online pet sitting network. Founded in 2014, it is one of the first platformised pet service providers in the country. The platform started by gathering fragmented pet communities on social media and asking anyone looking for a pet sitter to sign up.
Today, it attracts a wide variety of people looking for pet sitting services or a career change.
The pet sitters
Two of those who’ve been drawn to the industry are Yi Xiao and Ciarán Geoghegan.
When Yi Xiao arrived from China to study a PhD student at Monash University, she searched the internet, trying to find a part-time job to cover her living expenses and came across an advertisement for an online pet-sitting website – Mad Paws.
After doing some research about how this website worked, she decided to register.
“I have two cats in China. I love pets and have pet-sitting experience, so I wanted to try this job,” Yi Xiao said.
She finally became a pet sitter on Mad Paws, after taking several online training classes and passing the required exams.
Pet sitters undergo extensive training, including police checks and a safety course and need insurance before they are approved.
“The platform also asks all the registered pet sitters to upload documents like National Police Check,” Yi Xiao said.
Mad Paws also offers insurance to ensure the safety of pet sitters and pets, which is another reason why users choose the platform.
Yi Xiao, set sitter. Provided by Yi Xiao.
Yi Xiao, talks about how she decide to become a pet sitter for Mad Paws.
Ciarán Geoghegan started to work as a pet sitter on Mad Paws in 2022 and has completed 170+ orders. His pet sitting career started by walking his friends’ dogs, and then his friend recommended Mad Paws to him.
Insurance is an important reason Geoghegan became a freelancing pet sitter with Mad Paws.
“The insurance will cover me if something happens to me or the dog that isn’t my fault, but is caused by a third party,” he said.
Geoghegan finds this job more flexible than his previous job.
“You’re more in control of what you’re doing and can work as much or as little as you’d like. I only work between 11 am and 3 pm every day, so I get more free time to work on other hobbies and interests,” he said.
Interview with Ciarán Geoghegan, a full-time pet sitter on Mad Paws. Filmed by Lingzhou
After doing this job, Geoghegan said the idea of returning to an office job became too constricting for him. He then quit his job as a data manager and became a full-time pet sitter
A changing industry
According to a 2023 report in Business News Australia, the platform now has 40,000+ registered pet service providers across Australia, 450,000+ users, and has completed 2 million pet care services. The company had an revenue growth of 46% in 2023.
However, since the start of 2024, its share price has fallen 35%. The revenue growth and share price drop may be attributed to the company’s continuing expansion in ecommerce, which started from 2021, after its acquisition of the doggie treat subscription service Waggly Club. According to Mad Paws 2024 updates, the company is trying to build an online pet ecosystem that can seamlessly connect pet owners with both pet services and products.
Location of Mad Paw pet sitters across Australia.
The pet owner
Ms. Li has a dog called Tofu and treats her like her own daughter. She decided to find a one-to-one pet sitter because her dog had separation anxiety.
“I used to keep Tofu at home when we were out. But if I left her too long to be alone, sometimes she got emotional and anxious, and tried to destroy things,” Ms Li said.
Tofu at the park with her pet sitter. Photo bu Yuxuan Ge.
Ms Li tried to send Tofu to a dog-caring centre but Tofu didn’t get along with other dogs, and was often in fights. Ms Li chose to use an online pet sitting service to find a one-to-one pet sitter for Tofu, because she was also worried about whether Tofu could be taken good care of in a centre.
“I found a student who stayed at the apartment behind me,” Ms Li said.
“When I picked Tofu at the end of the first day, Tofu was very happy. She’s really reliable and she loves Tofu.”
“I think the most important thing is that you leave your dog with someone who appreciates your dog as well.”
The future of the industry
For Yi Xiao, working on the platform cannot cover all her life expenses.
“The income is not stable, because you can only get orders on holidays or weekends,” she said. She only received 10 orders in 6 months. “Also, the platform charges a 20% surcharge fee from both pet sitters and owners. If I have an order that should earn me around $200, I can only get $100 in the end,” she said.
Pet owners playing with their dogs. Photo by Yiran Sun.
For these financial reasons, Xiao only regards freelancing pet sitting as a short-term supplementary source of income.
However, Geoghegan this as a job that he can treat as a long-term career. What this job offers emotionally outweighs the problems brought by income instability.
“There’re very few workplaces where when you show up to the client and the pet, they’re so happy to see you, like you’re brightening up their day,” he said.
“It feels like you’re not just doing it to make money, but also making a difference. There’s definitely a level of satisfaction.”
Ciarán’s selfie with a dogs he walks. Supplied by Ciarán Geoghegan.
In the era of the gig economy, traditional jobs are being redefined. Platforms like Mad Paws bring new opportunities for people like Yi Xiao and Ciarán Geoghegan.
Freelancing pet-sitting is a job with more flexibility and autonomy, while it is accompanied by problems like instability. What this job will bring to individuals depends on their choices, reflecting their preferences and needs.