NEW YORK, June 23 (Xinhua) -- By taking care of busy New Yorkers' furry friends and housesitting, Jen Tserng made more than 60,000 U.S. dollars in 2017 and set her goal to 80,000 dollars this year.
The 41-year-old woman of Chinese descent found herself ever more occupied, taking care of five to eight dogs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during weekday and 15 to 20 puppies and kittens during holidays.
"It has been an idyllic, nomadic and still profitable life. I really enjoy the freedom and elasticity out of such a living pattern," she was recently quoted by Mandarin daily newspaper World Journal as saying.
Tserng is now a top player for the pet-walking industry, where she gets paid 50 dollars for an hour's service, five dollars more than she picked up the business some three years ago.
Her price notches up to 45 or even 73 dollars a night, if she provides all-day service for pet owners. She can also stay at the owner's home, saving herself a lot of rents.
Holiday means leisure for others, but more jobs for Tserng. Her reservations are usually full and packed, as owners will leave to travel for days and even weeks, leaving their pets at her disposal.
During pet owners' vacation, she can stay at their fancy apartments or houses, escorting furry friends while finding time to swim in rooftop pool or take a break in the luxurious private court.
SERVICE WELCOMED
Tserng's service can be ordered through Rover, which, as a front runner in this sector, offers on-demand dog walking with a wide selection of certified walkers. Each Rover dog walking booking also includes premium pet insurance, 24/7 support and a reservation guarantee.
"With our start-to-finish approach, your walker can supply you with real-time dog walking updates with start and stop times, a GPS map of their walk, info about any bathroom, food, and water breaks, and pictures of what your dog's been up to," Rover touts its high-caliber service.
"There's a dog walker on Rover for nearly every price range and lifestyle," it added.
Pet service providers like Rover flourish in New York City over its high density of pets, especially dogs and cats.
"The streets are sometimes ruled by them (dogs)," said 25-year-old Nate Rattner, who as caretaker of dogs once created "NYC Dogs Per Capita by Zip Code" through the city's database of registered dogs.
He found that the number of dogs per zip-code area ranged from 178 to 1,400, with 1,200 on average. Among the top 10 zip-code areas of dog concentration, nine were in Manhattan, where the richest New Yorkers lived and worked.
"Better stay away from Manhattan, if you hate dogs," said Nate.
BURGEONING BUSINESS
Dog walkers live their boom where dogs multiply.
For years, dog walking has been a lucrative trade in New York City, cashing in on the advantage that affluent class keeps pets to help fight loneliness or build up affinity among family members.
During weekdays there are regularly over 100 jobs available for dog walkers on the platform of the website www.indeed.com. The demand runs much higher on weekend and holiday in Big Apple.
The annual salary estimates per walker goes from 25,000 to 45,000 U.S. dollars, it said.
Another website, www.yelp.com, selected "The Best 10 Dog Walkers in New York, NY" on the basis of client recommendation and approval ratings, out of the hundreds of dog walking companies in the city.
"Are you a dog lover who wants to know more about how to turn your passion into profit?" asks Rover on its official website.
"There is lots of opportunity to earn money as a dog walker in New York City," it answered by itself.
