Dog Walker & Pet Sitter - Des Moines

A career in caring for animals is a life well lived.

We recently went through an ownership/management change in 2025. We strive to be the most professional and knowledgeable pet care team in the PNW. That team is crafted from wonderful and dedicated people who have a passion for animals that exceeds the norm. We are deeply loving, ultra-communicative, supportive, forward-thinking, detail-oriented, open-minded, and safety driven individuals who have banded together to build a terrific team to care for clients' fur-children.

Frolic Pet Services is currently hiring Part-Time Dog Walkers & Pet Sitters in various neighborhoods from North Seattle, Downtown, West Seattle, South Seattle, Des Moines, Kent, Auburn to NE Tacoma.

Frolic Pet Services is a locally-owned professional pet care company providing various services to clients in the Puget Sound region since 2008. Our team is composed of life-long animal lovers who are deeply dedicated to the well-being of the pets entrusted to their care. Most of our staff have been working with us for 5+ years! We are seeking dedicated do-good-humans to join our team to provide high quality pet sitting and dog walking services to our long list of beloved pets.

Our company structure is different from the others - we believe in having W2 employees, not 1099 independent contractors, so that we can offer our staff support, provide expert education, and have stable schedules, among many other benefits. This allows us to focus on our core values to provide clients reliability, consistency, and a professional level of care and safety. If you have a passion for pets, a keen eye for detail, and enjoy a physically active work-life balanced with puppy bellies - Apply now!

Check out our website www.FrolicPetServices.com for a full description of what sets us apart and why we're so proud to welcome another long term staff member to our team! - Read through our pages - About Us, Our Team, and our Careers page!

We provide a wide variety of pet care services to clients all over the Puget Sound region, and our services are offered 365 days a year. We have a plethora of services from dog walking to kitty care, daytime drop-ins, vacation care, and even sleepovers - we do it all. Our Dog Walkers/Pet Sitters are provided with expert training and are supported by our small knit office team who work with you to create appointment schedules, with driving routes considered, that are suited to your location and availability. We're always ready to assist when questions arise while you're out spending time with pets. We handle all of the marketing, training, client contact, set up and administration duties so you get to just focus on giving those high quality belly rubs, exercise, and loving care to all the pets!

Additionally, we are also looking to expand our office and management team out of Des Moines - if you have experience working in the animal industry, have an animal training background, or want to transition to a pet-centered office career - we'd love to meet with you.

See our CAREERS page for more detailed information on how we operate, job duties, responsibilities and requirements.

Part time Schedule:

We Service North Seattle to NE Tacoma. The area you live in is typically the area you work in - service 'zones' aren't set - we build a custom schedule based on your location and availability. Routes are localized, pre-scheduled, and mapped for efficiency & accuracy by our amazing office team. We have staff who are incredibly helpful even being available for a routine 1 hour window of time! So whether you can work with us 2 hours a week or 25, we encourage you to apply! We also look for backup for all shifts, all locations, on all days to support our team.

Zones: North Seattle / Downtown (Metro/Cap) / West Seattle / Mercer Island / South Seattle / Renton / Des Moines-Burien / Kent / Auburn / Federal way / NE Tacoma.

Shifts*: Morning 8-10a / Midday 10a-4p / Eve 4-8p / and Overnight "sleepover" in clients' homes typically 7p-7a (adjustable 7-9 with a 12-hour stay).

Hours: are depending on client requests and staff availability, while most of our clients have the same recurring schedule every week, we also have a lot of clients who add-in for last minute needs or go on vacation. Due to the nature of pet care, exact hours may vary based on client requests in your coverage zone(s). If you are able to travel to another zone, more hours may be available!

Responsibilities

• Provide professional and high-quality pet care Dog walking and pet sitting duties for regular weekly, one-time, & vacation-care clients, i.e. cleaning, feeding, walking at various pace, playing, petting, brushing, pet waste clean-up, light housekeeping, medication administration, etc.
• Provide dog walking at pace for individual pet need as well as guidance to stay on track with their owners training regimens.
• Communicate with the Frolic office and clients, and provide appointment updates & cute pet photos/videos via our app.
• Update our team about any changes with clients details or instructions, especially regarding pets, home instructions, locations, entry, safety, etc.
• Be able to keep an attentive eye out for potential issues or problems; provide quality attention in relation to the health and safety of all the pets you work with.
• Additional and more detailed responsibilities will be highlighted in the interview process and at hire.

Qualifications:

• Previous experience in the animal industry is highly desired, but not required - dog walker, dog trainer, veterinary technician, vet tech, vet customer service representative or receptionist, kennel tech, dog handler, doggy daycare camp or boarding, animal caretaker, etc.
• Most importantly, must deeply love animals and have a caring personality putting safety and pet happiness first.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Valid driver's license and reliable & insured vehicle required.
• Reliable smartphone with data package, messaging, GPS, email, phone, and camera required. (You will be required to download an app and use it throughout your entire working day with location services activated - Battery backup highly encouraged)
• Vaccination against COVID-19 as recommended by the CDC. Some clients are still requesting masking in their homes.
• Possess a high level of patience, calm demeanor, and problem-solving attitude. Things can occasionally go not-quite-as-expected when dealing with pets, so a cool head with a focus on safety is a must!
• Attention to detail regarding situational awareness, written instructions and pet health.
• Highly communicative, team player, and comfortable asking questions or addressing possible issues.
• Adjustable to a changing schedule - clients adding in, adjusted requested arrival times, and covering for your co-workers when they're out sick or on vacation.
• Time management, self-motivated, and able to stay on task with little or no supervision.
• Friendly and outgoing personality, able to interact and communicate with clients and co-workers in a consistently professional manner.
• Deeply trustworthy, able to pass a background check and provide references

Physical Requirements:

Physicality is required for this job as it is highly active. Since safety is our top priority for you and the pets, our requirements reflect that. While we do train basic body mechanics, dog walking leash handling, human body adjustments for dog body language you'll need to meet the following requirements.

Please note that we walk a LOT, and depending on your schedule, it's possible to have a full day of back to back dog walk appointments scheduled (30-60 minute appointments each) for possibly 4-6 hours of 'walk time'. While each client has pets with different exercise needs, most clients need help getting their dogs tired out - so not all appointments are a leisurely stroll with an elderly pup. We also walk on different pathways and in all kinds of weather so coordination along with pace is needed to be successful. Able to walk at a moderate-to-fast pace (including hills) for long periods of time in all weather conditions, for approximately 4-10 miles a day (depending on hours).

Based on WA L&I guidance with regards to dog walking (multiple dogs on leash) and pet sitting services the following physical requirements apply to all jobs at Frolic Pet Services:

Frequency Guidelines:
N: Never (not at all)
S: Seldom (1 - 10% of the time)
O: Occasional (11 - 33% of the time)
F: Frequent (34 - 66% of the time)
C: Constant (67 - 100% of the time)

Sitting - O (During travel, between appointments, and at cat-only visits. )
Standing - C
Walking - C
Heights/Stairs - O (Stairs in and outside of clients homes and high rise buildings, uneven ground outside, adverse services)
Twisting at the Waist - F (Working with dogs and cats, leash handling, cleaning up after pets and providing basic housekeeping within the home)
Bending/Stooping - F
Squatting/Kneeling - F
Crawling - S
Reaching Out - C
Talking/Hearing/Seeing - C
Working Above Shoulders - O
Handling/Grasping - C
Wrist (Flexion/extension) - C
Grasp (Forceful) - C
Fine Finger Manipulation - C
Foot Controls - C
Driving - F
Repetitive Motion - F
Lifting (70) lbs.
Carrying (70) lbs.
Pushing/Pulling (70+) lbs.+ (Walking dog(s) of various sizes and handling them with a leash)

Compensation & Benefits

• $19-$23/hr starting base, DOE. **INCLUDES paid drive times between appointments**
• Percentage commission (approx $70+ per night) when providing "Sleepover" services in clients homes; individual overnight appointments that take place outside of regular consecutively scheduled hours. i.e. 7pm-7am but only providing up to 2.5 hours of actual 'working' time.
• Tips (client dependent but most of our employees regularly receive approximately 15-30% tips for providing excellent service!)
• Paid training - both guided study and hands on with our dog trainer.
• Mileage reimbursement is usually available for coverage out of your dedicated zones.
• Dog walking gear & uniforms provided.
• W2 employee state and federal benefits (ie WA Paid Sick/Safe Leave)
• Full time positions are eligible for medical, PTO, and other great benefits after a standard waiting period. We're also hoping to implement retirement plan options in the near future!
• Depending on your availability, location, skill level, and qualifications, additional positions and promotion opportunities are available!

APPLY on our website or through the site you saw this ad in

Application Process: The Application should take you approximately 20-25 minutes and includes a series of basic questions that tells us a little about your experience and availability. Once we have reviewed your application, we will reach out for a short introductory phone interview or zoom call, then invite you to our home office in Des Moines for an in-person interview and dog walk with our trainer!

Frolic Pet Services embraces diversity and opposes discrimination. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US and have the ability to perform all duties as assigned with or without reasonable accommodations.