For people who love pets, working with them for a living can be a dream come true.

People spend quite a bit of money on their pets. This means that prospective small business owners have quite a few options for starting a business that caters to pets and their loving owners.

Pet Sitting Businesses

While there are quite a few veterinarians and kennels that will board family pets, many pet owners are concerned that their animals will be upset in new surroundings or worry that the small kennels their pets will be placed in aren't very comfortable. A pet sitter goes to the pet's home to care for it several times a day while the owners are away. Some pet owners use a pet sitter every day because they work long hours. Others only book the sitter when they are going on a week's vacation.

The key to a successful pet sitting business is to only take clients in a small area. This enables the pet sitter to make 13 or 14 half-hour visits in an eight hour day. Driving long distances between houses means longer hours or fewer visits.

Doggie Day Care

A doggie day care is similar to a child day care. Dogs and puppies are dropped off at the day care center, where they enjoy a day of activities and playtime with their classmates. A person who starts a doggie day care needs to be able to control a large group of dogs and should know how to handle dog behavior problems.

The biggest drawback for this business is that it can be hard to convince a local zoning board that it will not be disruptive. Dogs make a lot of noise and there is a lot of traffic from pet owners dropping off and picking up their pets.

Pooper Scooper Services

Few pet owners enjoy spending their free time cleaning up after their pets. This creates a great opportunity for people who don't mind a bit of a smell, but enjoy working outdoors. Cleaning up the yard for a single dog owner or mucking out the stable for a busy person who has one or two horses isn't a huge money maker. However, doing this task for ten or so families that are located within a small local radius can add up to a nice income.

Mobile Pet Groomers

Pet groomers are a necessity for many dog and cat breeds. However, with everyone being busier than ever, it is hard to get pets to the groomer. A mobile pet groomer comes to the pet's home to brush or cut the pet's hair, trim toenails and give baths. Usually, this is all done in the groomer's van, which keeps the mess out of the pet owner's house.