It's not flexitime and I give them no indication whatsoever that it's a job with flexible "come as you please" hours. People generally understand that "Mon-Fri full time" does not mean "whatever days and times you feel like" or "every single hour from Mon-Fri." At least people with common sense do. 

well, why cant u get anyone then? everyone is crap? if u cant hire anyone to be a dog babysitter i wouldnt hire u :)

backwoods
well, why cant u get anyone then? everyone is crap? if u cant hire anyone to be a dog babysitter i wouldnt hire u :)

I don't hire anyone who doesn't know how to spell "you" either 
 
Have you ever run a business or hired anyone backwoods? There is a general level of common sense beneath which an employee will cause you constant stress, create more work for you, lose you customers and in some cases bring liability issues which cost you tens of thousands of dollars. 
 
This is a pretty straightforward job but requires self-motivation (I can't observe them all day - take note of that part), initiative and common sense (i.e. the ability to think on their feet and deal with problems intelligently). 
 
Yes, you would think that such people were easy to find. And at one time, they were. This is my whole point. They are becoming harder and harder to find. Think how you'd feel, if you'd sifted through useless applicant after useless applicant, and someone insinuated that there must be something wrong with you. It's not just me, I have friends and associates in the same business (and other types of businesses) who are reporting exactly the same thing. 

I suppose you're joking...but taking care of someone's pet is right up there with taking care of their children. Pretty friggin important. From most of Sharke's history of posts one gets the sense that he takes his responsibilities very seriously...and that he expects his employees to do the same. Kudos to him.

Just wait until THEY get old and find that there's NOBODY left to take care of them...

yorolpal
I suppose you're joking...but taking care of someone's pet is right up there with taking care of their children. Pretty friggin important. From most of Sharke's history of posts one gets the sense that he takes his responsibilities very seriously...and that he expects his employees to do the same. Kudos to him.

Thank you! People don't realize how stressful it is....put it this way, given the stress/profit ratio of this business, you have to really want to work with animals. It was one thing back when I worked alone, but once I started hiring people and had them out there on the busy streets of Manhattan, entrusted not just with people's apartment keys but with the pets they are nuts about, the stress factor increased 100 fold. You're constantly worried about things going wrong out there. Every day I have to deal with all sorts of crap ranging from employees stuck on subways to difficult doormen who suddenly take it upon themselves to tell the walker who's been coming every day for the past year that he doesn't recognize him and that he won't let him upstairs. And then of course there are difficult dogs, sometimes awkward, sometimes temperamental, sometimes aggressive. You have chihuahuas who run under the bed and won't come out and bite anyone who goes anywhere near them, you have dogs who keep putting the brakes on for no good reason, you arrive to dogs having made a mess, or sick dogs, or dogs who don't like it when you reach underneath them to fasten a harness. And then there's the clients - there are people who think the world revolves around them, make all sorts of impossible demands, scream at you at the slightest provocation and then threaten to trash you online over some stupid $5 dispute with their invoice despite the fact you've given them flawless, reliable service for 3 or more years. 
 
So believe me - good, solid, reliable employees are a must. I had a bad employee a couple of years ago who almost caused me a nervous breakdown (I ended up with pre-hypertension). You have to deal with employment laws which are weighted ferociously against the employer to the point where you can't even fire someone for gross incompetence. 
 
But the mutts make it all worthwhile! And believe it or not, I actually really get a sense of satisfaction from providing people with a living. It's nice when they give you good service in return. 

sharke

backwoods
well, why cant u get anyone then? everyone is crap? if u cant hire anyone to be a dog babysitter i wouldnt hire u :)

I don't hire anyone who doesn't know how to spell "you" either 
 
Have you ever run a business or hired anyone backwoods? There is a general level of common sense beneath which an employee will cause you constant stress, create more work for you, lose you customers and in some cases bring liability issues which cost you tens of thousands of dollars. 
 
This is a pretty straightforward job but requires self-motivation (I can't observe them all day - take note of that part), initiative and common sense (i.e. the ability to think on their feet and deal with problems intelligently). 
 
Yes, you would think that such people were easy to find. And at one time, they were. This is my whole point. They are becoming harder and harder to find. Think how you'd feel, if you'd sifted through useless applicant after useless applicant, and someone insinuated that there must be something wrong with you. It's not just me, I have friends and associates in the same business (and other types of businesses) who are reporting exactly the same thing. 

yep, i hire the top ppl for my firm... an ad goes out, people answer, screeners winnow the chaff, i interview EVERYONE who remains. i get final call... millenials can be hired. 
 
work on your conditions if only idiots apply...
 
good luck.

backwoods

sharke

backwoods
well, why cant u get anyone then? everyone is crap? if u cant hire anyone to be a dog babysitter i wouldnt hire u :)

I don't hire anyone who doesn't know how to spell "you" either 
 
Have you ever run a business or hired anyone backwoods? There is a general level of common sense beneath which an employee will cause you constant stress, create more work for you, lose you customers and in some cases bring liability issues which cost you tens of thousands of dollars. 
 
This is a pretty straightforward job but requires self-motivation (I can't observe them all day - take note of that part), initiative and common sense (i.e. the ability to think on their feet and deal with problems intelligently). 
 
Yes, you would think that such people were easy to find. And at one time, they were. This is my whole point. They are becoming harder and harder to find. Think how you'd feel, if you'd sifted through useless applicant after useless applicant, and someone insinuated that there must be something wrong with you. It's not just me, I have friends and associates in the same business (and other types of businesses) who are reporting exactly the same thing. 

yep, i hire the top ppl for my firm... an ad goes out, people answer, screeners winnow the chaff, i interview EVERYONE who remains. i get final call... millenials can be hired. 
 
work on your conditions if only idiots apply...
 
good luck.

 
What do you mean "work on your conditions"? I'm pretty much limited in how much I can pay for the kind of work that it is. There is a market rate for some kinds of work. I can't pay the kind of wage that attracts "top people." If I could pay $2000/week for a dog walking position then I'm sure I would have a wider pick of the bunch. As it is, the maximum rate that I can pay is limited by the kind of rates that I can charge for my services, which in turn are determined by lots of factors not least of which is the rate people are willing to pay to have their dogs walked. So you know, it's not a highly paid job. But then again, it's a lot better than the minimum wage too. It's the kind of work that traditionally suits young people who are relatively new to the job market, or people who are in a relationship in which their "other half" makes most of the money. I didn't say I can't find anyone - if I couldn't, then I wouldn't be in business now because I wouldn't have any employees. My point is that it's getting harder and harder to find good employees for this kind of work. 
 
I did lower paid work when I was just starting out, it's all part of the job ladder, especially when you have few formal qualifications. You have to prove that you can stick a job out, be reliable, show up on time etc. That experience and those references get you the next job, hopefully better than your last one. The salient point here is that 10 years ago, it was a lot easier to find good employees. Now there is a lot more "chaff" to sift through. A LOT more. I'm a member of a closed forum where people in the same biz as me get together and talk. Everyone's having the same issues. It's not that there are no good workers out there, it's just that they're increasingly few and far between. Surveys of employers nationwide generally say the same thing. 

well put sharke... and you (u) know your business better than me obviously. just sometimes i'm sick of everybody kicking the youngsters... that sentiment sort of leaked out there. 
 
i've had good luck with new graduates but maybe i've been lucky. 
 
peace :)