Many people’s dreams are to help animals and make money at the same time. Some have turned it into a profession, like veterinarians, for example. Others help animals and make money as a side business. In this article, we will discuss how you can help animals and make money at the same time.
1. Become the best dog walker in your neighborhood
Walking dogs can be amusing, good for your health, relaxing, but most important, rewarding. All dogs love to be outside and take long walks. If you already like to walk by yourself, you might want to add a dog as company. Dogs are excellent walking buddies and perfect to exercise with. If you don’t have the time to own a dog of your own, you might want to consider becoming a dog walker.
You might want to put up some flyers in your neighborhood and post in your local Facebook group about your services to attract business. Post your schedule and what times you are free. That way, the dog owners will know if your schedule matches theirs. If you are extra serious – you can set up a website.
You can start by having an hourly rate, and when you get regular customers, set a flat rate you both agree on.
Can you offer something other dog walkers doesn’t? Can you bring the dogs super tired after an hour of running? Can you provide extra-long walks? Find your USP and charge accordingly. The average dog walker makes $14 per hour.
2. Be the one who leaves or retrieve dogs at the daycare
Many people live stressful lives and always don’t have time. If you have the spare time in the morning or evening, why not offer yourself to leave and retrieve dogs at the doggy daycare? Mornings are usually the most stressful time in a household, and many people would pay a lot of money to remove the stressful moment in their lives. And don’t forget all the people who would pay extra money to stay in bed for a bit longer.
Now when restrictions are gradually lifted after covid, more people will need to put their dogs in a daycare center, and that’s where your help comes in. You will help Rover get his morning and evening exercise while helping Master to destress.
Put up some flyers in your neighborhood and close to doggy daycares, write in Facebook groups, and why not ask local doggy daycares if they can mention your name?
3. Bake dog biscuits and sell them to hungry customers
Everyone wants the best for their pet and would do anything for them, including giving them snacks.
Can you be the local hero who bakes the tastiest and less caloric snacks for the neighborhood dogs?
Before you start baking, you will need to do your research. There are some things dogs shouldn’t eat and some things they can but should avoid. If you succeed in your baking business, why not take it online and sell your delicious biscuits to hungry customers nationwide?
Before you start baking:
- Do your research what dogs can and can not eat.
- Calculate ingredients to make ingredient labels including macronutrients.
- Check the ingredient list with a veterinarian.
- Calculate cost per biscuit and count how much you will need to charge to make a profit.
- Check how long the biscuits can stay fresh without going bad.
- Check out the video below for tips and inspiration
4. Make handmade custom dog bowls and sell
If you are into pottering, this might be something for you, or if you have beautiful handwriting.
Dog owners love to spoil their dogs, and especially with something custom-made.
You can buy pottery kits online, and you can start practicing making bowls and mugs for yourself. It takes a bit of practice. Soon enough, you will fill your cabins with cups and plates you’ve made yourself. You can start a small business with custom-made dog or cat bowls when you have mastered it. I can imagine you are already thinking of some designs right now.
5. Helping with chores in a barn
If you live close to a barn, they might need help from time to time. It can be almost anything that needs to be done. Groom horses, mowing lawns, paint fences, feeding cows and other animals, plant vegetables, or something else. Visit a farm and let them know you exist and are willing to help them and the animals out.
6. Plant flowers and sell them
Do you have access to sunlight and have green thumbs? Why not grow some beautiful flowers and start selling? While the flowers grow, they will be pollinated by bees and butterflies. You earn some money from selling beautiful flowers, and the pollinators get some sweet nectar. Everyone wins.
7. Grow vegetables and sell them
Organic and locally grown food has never been more popular, and it has never been easier to do. Can you be the local superhero who supplies the entire neighborhood with fresh homegrown vegetables? Growing vegetables is easy and doesn’t require much effort.
You can dedicate a sunny spot for your vegetables in your home by using a seedling tray. Seedling trays are excellent to get started, and you can dedicate a whole tray to different herbs and spices. Who doesn’t like fresh Basil or Rosemary?
If you don’t have a garden, you can grow your vegetables in buckets. I usually grow 2-3 buckets of potatoes each year. One seed potato returns 0.5-1kg of potatoes. You can sell the potatoes as they are, but what if you would make your homemade potato chips from them? Making homemade potato chips is easy and will increase your profits tremendously. I find the potato which has the highest yield is the Kennebec. Kennebec is one of the potatoes containing the most starch. When making french fries and chips, the starchiest potatoes are the best. Check out organic Kennebec seed potatoes.
8. Help people birdsafe their windows
Everyone has had a bird crashing into their window at some time. However, you can avoid this easily. The only thing you’ll need is some tape, but a spirit level also helps. Birds avoid narrow gaps, and taping strips onto your windows will make the birds avoid it. Window films that blur the inside from the outside also help the bird avoid crashing into your windows.
Before you start your business, buy some tape and practice on your own windows first. Afterward, you can put up some flyers, but also write in the local Facebook groups. Check out some tape for your windows here.
9. Start a Youtube channel
Many people’s dream is to be a famous Youtube celebrity but never starts. It can be hard to know what to make videos about and, it might feel like everything is done already. Why not create a Youtube channel about a specific animal? You can make videos with interesting facts about the animal and explain them in detail.
To earn money from Youtube, you will need to have at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time. It may look like a huge achievement, but as long as you stick to it and like what you do – you will make people more aware of animals and soon enough make some money from it.
If you want some inspiration, you can check out our Youtube channel here. How To Help Animals.
10. Start a fundraiser
Both Facebook and Instagram are excellent platforms to start a fundraiser. There are also well-known, established platforms like GoFundMe, that might be helpful. However, spreading your goal is best done through social media.
How about – “Donate $1, and I will walk 1 mile and donate $0.5 to <animal charity>”. That way, you will attract people who love animals and those who want to see you suffer. You will get the most traction if you document everything you do. If you walk one mile, film it and talk to the audience about the charity you are promoting. Don’t forget to mention your sore legs for the sadists out there.
11. Start a blog
If you enjoy writing about animals, a blog might be the medium for you. It doesn’t matter what you write about, as long as people search for it, and the competition for viewers isn’t too hard. If you write about something you are passionate about, it will show through your posts. You can monetize a blog in different ways—ads from Google Adsense, Ezoic, and Mediavine. You can have affiliate links to get a small percentage for every sale generated when someone clicks your link. You can also get approached by companies asking you to review their product.
Building an audience takes a long time and requires a lot of dedication and time writing. If you don’t like writing, you might want to consider starting a Youtube channel instead.
12. Start a webshop
Setting up your webshop is easy through established platforms like Shopify and Woocommerce. If you want to help animals and earn money, you might want to sell something animals need. You can produce the products yourself, but also buy them cheap from abroad. I recommend doing this with a friend who’s as passionate as you about animals. If you don’t know where to start, make a visit to the local pet store and ask what they sell most of and take it from there. Can you sell a better version of it and cheaper than them?
13. Become a pet taxi
Sometimes pet owners need to take their pet from place a to place b. Many taxis and Uber drivers don’t allow pets inside their vehicles. What if you can be their driver? This can be connected to tip number 2. Contact daycares if you can put up a flyer and promote your business.
Pet owners who don’t have a driver’s license may take their loved ones to the vet sometime, and riding the bus might take too long. You can be their designated driver. Reach out to local animals clinics and see if you can put up a flyer. If Rover needs to be delivered or retrieved, it might be hard for an older person.
14. Become a mobile pet groomer
If you like grooming animals, this might be something for you. Long-haired dogs and cats need to be trimmed from time to time. Some pets don’t like to be groomed, and owners don’t want to force their pets themselves. If you are a calm person who knows how to trim pets, this might be something for you. You can go to people’s homes and do the grooming there in their living room.
15. Start a doggy daycare
Doggy daycares are in high demand since covid restrictions are lifted. People who bought a puppy during the lockdown and are now forced back to their offices need a place for Rover during the day. That’s where you come in. This can’t be a side job, but instead your full-time income. Dog owners require you to work the same time they do, preferably every day of the year. If you wanted to start your own business involving animals, this might be something for you. Your goal is to make every dog’s day magical.
16. Rent out your garden
Do you have a garden you don’t use? Would you mind if you had strangers digging in it? Growing our own vegetables is excellent to improve biodiversity and help the pollinators survive and repopulate. Many people who live in apartments and don’t have access to a garden of their own might be interested in yours. If you can provide easy access to it and letting the farmers do all the work. Put up a sign outside, divide the garden into sections, and rent out each section to different people. You can stay inside and watch the money grow.
17. Become a pet hotel
Sometimes dog and cat owners need to go away for a weekend, and they need a sitter for them. Can Rover stay with you during the weekend? When restrictions are lifted, people want to travel again and need a place for their family members during that time. There isn’t always a relative there to help, and that’s when you come in. Go to pet shops and ask if you can put out some business cards or put up a flyer. Writing in the local Facebook group also helps.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be cats or dogs. Amphibians, reptiles, hamsters, bunnies, and fish are also common pets. Don’t unnecessarily restrict yourself.
18. Build birdhouses
If you are into carpentry, this might be something for you. Birds need somewhere to rest and nest. Adding a birdhouse into your garden attracts birds to your garden, and in return, they will help you with your insect problem.
Are you able to build pretty birdhouses for a low price and still make a profit? Can you make custom-made birdhouses? You don’t need to limit yourself to your local area but can go online promoting our business. If you can build and color a custom-made birdhouse within 24hours, you are ready to go. If you don’t want to do customized, but instead something more regular, you can start a business on Amazon.
19. Make interior for birdhouses
If you liked the tip before, you could take it to the next level. If you are into crochet, you can make a super comfortable house for your bird. Instead of cold, rigid wooden walls and floors, your birdhouses are comfy and soft. The crochet will give you a USP to other birdhouses.
It doesn’t have to be crochet; you can glue plastic grass to the floor, put up some soft or fuzzy wallpaper. The only limitations are your imagination.
20. Sell aquatic plants to shops
Pet shops that sell fish may need aquatic plants. If you are into aquariums and terrariums, this might be something for you. Your customer doesn’t have to be limited to pet shops; it can be regular people too. By building a terrarium, you give life to thousands of microbes living and thriving inside.
21. Build frog houses
Is your neighbor complaining about having their crops eaten by insects? They might need help from our amphibian friends. Frogs eat 2-100 insects per day, depending on the frog species. By inviting frogs to your garden, you don’t have to worry about insects again.
Frogs need a calm place, and a great way is to either build rock houses or pothouses. Imagine building Fred Flintstones’ house. Pot houses are easy to make. You need pots that are cracked in half. Half the pot is under the earth, and the other acts as a roof for the frog.
Next time your neighbor speaks about their destroyed crops, ask if you can add some frog houses in their garden.
22. Build hedgehog houses
Hedgehogs need a place to rest and also hibernate. If you are handy and like to build things with your hand, hedgehog houses might be something for you. Hedgehogs require a narrow gateway to their house, so cats and dogs can’t access it. It should also be long enough so paws can’t reach in.
Hedgehog population is decreasing, and by building safe, beautiful homes for them, you will help them regain population while making a buck.
23. Build hibernaculum in people’s yards
Do you like digging? Hibernaculum is an excellent way to invite wildlife into your garden and giving them a safe and calm space. Frogs use hibernaculum for hibernation. You build a hibernaculum by digging a big hole in the ground and adding tubes, rocks, branches, and stuff they can hide under. The hibernaculum also requires some entrance and exit holes. You can add pipes and tubes before you fill the hole. This helps animals getting rest and providing them with a safe haven. The owner of the hibernaculum don’t need to do anything but instead focus on their crops. Pest control is run by the individuals living in the hibernaculum.
24. Be a freelance writer in the animal niche
A lot of people need help writing, especially about animals. They need it for articles, blog posts, and scripts. Sadly, many people who write these articles aren’t educated about the topic and only write what they believe is correct. If you are educated about animals and don’t mind researching a topic before writing about it, this might be something for you. There are a lot of websites where writers can promote themselves. Websites like UpWork, Fiverr, and Freelancer are websites that help content writers get hired. If you want to write for HowToHelpAnimals, contact me.
25. Be a dog groomer
If you have a passion for brushing, clipping nails, bathing, and taking care of dogs, this is the thing for you. Grooming dogs can take up valuable for many people, and if they can get their family member’s fur cut, bathed and nails clipped by someone else – they will. It’s essential to be calm and professional. Dogs can be excited in the company of new people, and many dogs don’t like to be groomed. If you are relaxed, your energy will spread to the dog. Before you start your business, you might want to borrow a friend’s dog for practicing first. Think about what your unique selling point can be. Can your shampoo be the best smelling? Can you deliver the dog when you are done? Can you give the dog a relaxing massage? The opportunities are endless.
26. Be a dog trainer
If you ever had a dog, you know how frustrating it can be to train it to do tricks. Some people hire other people to learn their dog new tricks. Can you be the person who teaches other people’s dogs to perform tricks? In my opinion, I would be happier to build a bond with my dog and learn the tricks myself. But everyone is different. You can combine this job with a dog walking business. “I walk your dog and practice tricks at the same time.” The dog will be completely exhausted after a long walk and using its head for long.
27. Be a cat activist
Many people have problems with their cats. The cats are scratching on furniture, scratching, biting, and hiss at people. In most cases, the cats are indoor cats and are understimulated. Understimulated cats are acting up in different ways. That’s where you come in. Can you provide a fun time for your neighbor’s cat? Playing, cuddling, and walking with an indoor cat are great ways to activate the cat and making their days less dull.
