682: Why Congress Is Talking About the Pet Industry (But Forgot Dog Walkers)
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What happens when Congress holds a hearing about the pet economy—but leaves out dog walkers and pet sitters?In this episode, we unpack the March 11, 2026 Senate Committee hearing on the growing small-business pet economy. While veterinarians, a pet product manufacturer, and a boarding franchise owner testified, the independent in-home pet care sector was notably absent. We explore what this omission reveals about how policymakers understand the industry and why representation matters. Finally, we discuss the real challenges small pet care businesses face—from health insurance costs to tax policies—and how professionals in our field can begin advocating for their place in the broader pet economy conversation.
Main topics:
Senate hearing on pet economy
Independent pet care representation gap
Small business pressures and costs
Health insurance and tax challenges
Advocacy for pet care professionals
Main takeaway: “If Congress wants to understand the pet economy, your voice should be part of that conversation.”
The U.S. Senate recently held a hearing about the growing pet industry—but not a single dog walker or pet sitter was invited to testify. That’s remarkable when you consider how many families rely on in-home pet care every single day. Professional pet sitters and dog walkers support working households, care for senior and anxious pets, and help make modern pet ownership possible.
If our industry wants to be recognized, we can’t stay invisible. Advocacy starts with sharing our stories and helping decision makers understand what our businesses actually do. The pet economy includes us—and it’s time our voices were heard.
Links:
Watch the hearing: https://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/3/main-street-s-top-dog-growing-the-small-business-pet-economy
Write a letter template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dGKlyHj7jTWxFwu48nCYHS-qdu1LYAn7c6PH_fXoXQ4/edit?usp=sharing
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Pet industry, Senate hearing, Small Business pet economy, Dog walkers, Pet sitters, Independent businesses, Veterinary clinics, Franchise models, Property costs, Health insurance, FICA tip credit, Groomers, Pet care professionals, Local economies, Pet spending.
SPEAKERS
Collin, Meghan
Meghan 00:02
Hi, I'm Meghan. I'm Collin. We are the hosts of pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Thank you for listening today. We are appreciative of you taking your time. We would also like to thank pet sitters, associates and dog Collin for sponsoring this episode. And also we cannot forget our Patreon supporters love the podcast. Want to keep it going for as many episodes as we can crank out, and they want to give back so some of their hard earned dog walking and pet sitting money every month is given through Patreon. If you would like to contribute as well, you can go to pet sitter confessional.com/support, to see all of the ways that you can help out on this episode. We're talking about something that honestly caught our attention in a pretty big way. On March 11 of this year, 2026 the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing called Main Street's top dog growing the Small Business pet economy, which is pretty wild when you think about it. In the United States, we've got senators talking about the pet industry.
Collin 01:02
Yeah, it's finally big enough that the Congress is holding hearings about it, and at least they're holding hearings about it in a good way, and not looking at regulations and that kind of thing right now, this was all about hearing from business owners the trials and tribulations and struggles that they were having, because it really is encouraging. It means that the pet economy isn't being treated like a niche hobby anymore, and it's actually being treated by a true and real economic sector and driver of the economy.
Meghan 01:32
The Chairwoman Joni Ernest opened the hearing by saying, today, folks, we're talking about our beloved pets and the entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the ever growing pet industry that framing that she did is really important, because the pet industry isn't just pet stores or vet clinics, it's a whole ecosystem. The chair even said that. She said the pet economy is just as wide and diverse as the small businesses who participate in it. And that's true, but here's where things get interesting, because as we listened to the hearing, something became really obvious. Nobody from the dog walking or pet sitting industry the world, our silo of the pet industry was there not a single dog walker, not a single pet sitter, no one from our independent side, exactly.
Collin 02:17
There were three witnesses. One was a veterinarian, one was a pet treat manufacturer and one was a franchisee owner of Camp Bow Wow, which is boarding and daycare. All three are important parts of the pet industry, but that independent pet care side, that whole swath of the industry, dog walkers in home pets service, it wasn't represented at all, which is really strange when you think about how many people actually use those service. They really are a hidden part of the economy
Meghan 02:45
well, and we just said how the pet business industry is being taken seriously, but not as seriously as we would like, because pet sitters and dog walkers who run independent businesses, who have six figures, seven figure businesses, we aren't being taken seriously, and we need to be in that room, having that conversation with them, because
Collin 03:02
it's not just the business owners who need to be represented. It's also getting an insight into the households, the clients. Millions of people use these services every single year. And yet, when Congress sat down to talk about the quote, unquote, pet economy, our part of the industry just was completely left out well.
Meghan 03:23
And same thing can be said for pet groomers and dog trainers, these other silos of the pet industry weren't represented either. One of the witnesses was Josh Rogers, who owned several Camp Bow Wow franchise locations across Missouri, Colorado and Florida. And he opened his testimony by setting the scene. He said, today we're actually caretaking over 510 dogs across our seven locations. He also talked about the role franchising played in building his business. He said the Camp Bow Wow franchise model changed everything. It allowed us to go into business for ourselves, but not by ourselves. That proven system turned insurmountable risk into reality. That's what he said. He shared that they employ over 140 people across seven locations, going from zero to seven in under four years, which is pretty crazy. That's huge.
Collin 04:14
Yeah, it's a big operation, and it's a story worth telling, right? But that's also a completely different business model from most dog walking and pet sitting companies, those businesses. Our businesses usually start small with one dog, two dogs, and we grow route by route, client by client, employee by employee. Our businesses are built around trusts and relationships, not buildings and not franchises. Yeah, they're hyper local. They're neighborhood businesses.
Meghan 04:42
Think about for your own business, what does scaling look like in your business? Is it more like adding employees, one at a time, or something else? Is it in October you get a rush of clients, and so you're having to onboard and do maybe 1015 meet and greets in a week span, because you're getting the influx or. Is it more of a slow growth business where people are trickling in throughout the year? Josh from Camp Bow Wow also raised a concern that every small pet care business really deals with every owner kind of frets about its property costs. He described what happened to his Colorado locations. He said two years ago, the property tax was $28,000 then it jumped up to $38,000 we got a bill. Now it's $51,000 why is that money ballooning the way that it is, and that kind of cost pressure when you own a brick and mortar, the you know, the unpredictable jump you can't plan for isn't unique to franchise businesses. Every small pet care company that leases or owns space feels that again. Groomers, trainers, if they're not mobile, they have a brick and mortar, and they have these costs associated with it.
Collin 05:46
It's not just about the franchise small business owners who own brick and mortar. It's this is, this is issues that are faced by the local groomer, or the local veterinarian or the local trainer who has a training spot. These things that he is addressing are not just franchisee specific or franchisee model specific, which he's a big proponent for. The Independent side also faces these exact same issues.
Meghan 06:09
The hearing also had a veterinarian Dr Gary Brown from West Virginia. He talked about how veterinary clinics function in communities. He said, quote, veterinary practices are central pillars of the communities across the United States, an essential health care provider and a cornerstone of small businesses and often the front porch of that community.
Collin 06:28
And we heard this too when we did our series of interviews with veterinarians from around the globe and across different industries, of how important the local veterinary provider is to the lifeblood of a community and the pet owners there, it really is their go to source. It's a place where they can find other people to get connected to. And Dr Brown also put numbers on it. There are approximately 34,000 veterinary practices in the US, and the average Companion Animal Practice generates more than one and a half million dollars in annual revenue, and each full time veterinarian generates around $600,000 in gross revenue that goes to support those local economies. Ultimately, veterinary medicine is essential, but hearing the veterinarian talk, it also got us thinking about something, because for a lot of households, dog walkers and pet sitters are also part of the infrastructure of owning a pet. When you get a dog, they get a groomer, they get a trainer, they get a veterinarian. More and more people are also adding a dog walker and a pet sitter to their quiver of care. The you the dog walkers or pet sitters, you make it possible for your clients to work those long shifts, to make to allow them to go travel. You make it possible for anxious pets to stay home instead of going to a kennel. Effectively, you help make daily life work.
Meghan 07:47
But that part of the infrastructure wasn't discussed during the hearing. There are no clear national statistics on the number of independent pet sitting or dog walking businesses, which, in and of itself, is part of the problem now, yes, pet sitters International and the National Association of Professional pet sitters, they do yearly studies, and they have their number of members that they can track over the years, whether it's gone up or down. But ultimately, we don't know how many of us are out there, which
Collin 08:13
is another reason, which is part of the problem. Like you said, like, why weren't we at the table here? It's because the that kind of information, that level of detail just isn't there. And when we look at our own clients and trying to understand, okay, you have a vet now, you do need a dog walker, you do need a pet sitter, we try and explain that to them. Of we get to help support you live your life. That's what you get to do when you run your business, listener. You get to help people live their lives. The veterinarian care that helps them when they have issues and helps keep their pet healthy and maintain everything that they're dealing with, the dog walkers, the pet sitters, help the person live their life while supporting their pet.
Meghan 08:56
And I think part of this is why it's so important to have good relationships with your local veterinarians and with your local groomers, because especially with the veterinarians, they're the ones that see the pets day in and day out. They can make recommendations. You know, we try our best to educate as many people and as many clients as possible, but we don't, ultimately, we don't have as far of a reach as the veterinarians do, because they see literally all of the pets, and so when you have a good relationship with them, they can hopefully put in a good word of, I see your dog is a little overweight, you may consider a dog walker. Oh, you're going on vacation, and that's why you need these vaccinations. Maybe an In Home Pet Sitter would be better. We recommend every pet owner has a dog walker and pet sitter. We also recommend you have insurance. As pet care professionals, your clients trust you to care for their furry family members. But who has got your back for over 25 years, pet sitters Associates has been helping pet care pros like you with affordable, flexible insurance coverage, whether you're walking dogs or just starting out, they make it easy to protect your business. Get a free quote today at Pet sitllc.com as a listener, you go. $10 off your membership when you use the code confessional at checkout. That's pets@llc.com because your peace of mind is part of great pet care. The third witness on this hearing was Robert Van sickle, co owner of Polka dog, a Boston based dog and cat treat company with 11 retail locations, a manufacturing facility and about 100 employees. They've been in businesses 24 years. Honestly, a lot of what he said sounded extremely familiar as a small business owner. He said, quote, within the walls, we still operate very much as a small business, constantly looking for ways to optimize and streamline operations, innovate and be creative problem solvers. That line could describe almost every serious pet care business owner that we know. Then he said something that really stood out. He said, as most small business owners can attest, the line between success and failure is never far away. That hit home. That's very real. If you run a service based business, you know exactly what that feels like.
Collin 10:55
He also described what small businesses actually need. He said, what small businesses, like ours, need most is stability, predictability and peace of mind to plan investments, hire workers and grow methodically. I absolutely love when he said that we, as a business owner, I need to know what to plan for if things are constantly out of whack, up and down and all over the place, I can't make my next hire. I can't plan for one year down the road, it applies to us in the dog walking and pet sitting world too. But the moment his testimony that hit the hardest came during the questions period, Senator Markey asked him directly about health care costs and Van sickles answer was really specific. He said the estimate for our increase for next year is going to be 27% and that was an increase to their premium. That's on the back end of having a 10% increase in 2025 it's a significant expense for us. Our struggle is, how do we balance trying to do right by our employees? We can't really attract and retain talent if we're not providing reasonable health insurance. Again, that was 27% on top of another 10% the year before. And if we run a business, we have to pay for insurance for ourselves. That's that's cost comes from us, and we are in the same labor pool, looking for same people who are also looking for benefits as health insurance and everything that goes into that, and some of that's required at state levels of what we have to provide to make sure that they are covered in everything. And it just goes to show that when we talk about that right, the math really hit the ref. It really feels hard and almost impossible to overcome what Van sickle was describing was just another part of what it means to be a small business and the struggles that we face
Meghan 12:41
again when we talk about the different silos of the pet industry, we are not that much different. Yes, we are a service based business. We don't sell pet treats, we aren't vets, we don't groom dogs, some of us, but at the end of the day, we all are small business owners, and we deal with some of the same problems optimizing efficiency. How do we make sure we have enough money at the end of the day to pay our employees?
Collin 13:05
Yeah, and while many of us may use part time employees, I think a lot of us also want to get to the point where we can't can have full time employees, or we want to offer some benefits and do more for our employees, because we want to retain the best. We want to have the absolute best, and that always comes at a trade off. How do we in an environment where our personal costs are rising and our expenses are rising, while also trying to understand that we can't keep raising prices on our clients, because how much pricing power do we actually have? And we get stuck between this rock and a hard place if you don't have employees, we still feel this, because we ourselves are paying for that health insurance premium that is costly every single month that we have to pay that. And I know a lot of people who go without because they just can't afford it right now, putting ourselves in danger of if something actually does happen, yeah,
Meghan 13:58
thinking about the trade offs that we have to make, okay? Well, I can't afford health insurance, so I need to make other changes in my life, or maybe I need to save up for health insurance, so I have to sacrifice some other things. So the hearing talked about veterinary medicine, manufacturing, pet retail and franchise, daycare and boarding. But here's what really stood out to us. There's a moment in the hearing that tells the story perfectly. So Rogers was asked about what additional policy he'd want in a second reconciliation bill. His answer was the FICA tip credit, a tax provision that currently applies to restaurants and was just extended to beauty services. He argued it should also apply to pet groomers too, and that's really a reasonable ask. Groomers deserve that consideration, but he specifically said pet groomers, not pet sitters, not dog walkers, and the committee moved on from there.
Collin 14:47
And this is something that if, if groomers are added, if these things are added, pets and dog walkers, should also be included, because this can make a big difference in the lives of the. Business Owner and their employees, instead of adding and heaping on more costs to them, it now becomes an attractive benefit, because again, what he is talking about here is that phrase, no tax on tips, which passed in the big, beautiful bill. And this is fantastic, but in order for you to qualify in this your line of work, your employee had to qualify as a tipped employee. And right now, dog walkers and pet sitters are not and groomers are not. So as it stands right now, if a client tips you, you have to pay income tax on that. Additionally, if you pass on a tip from the client to your employee, there are taxes associated on both sides of that. And so what Rogers is saying here, include the groomers, and what we would add is, include the dog walkers, include the pet sitters, so that everybody can keep more money in their pocket, the
Meghan 15:51
one policy ask that came closest to touching our industry still didn't even include us. That's not Roger's fault, though he was advocating for his segment. That's what witnesses are supposed to do, advocate for themselves. Obviously they're biased, but it illustrates the problem. When there is no one at the table representing In Home Pet Care, the conversation naturally gravitates toward the segments that are represented. Of course, they're going to talk about boarding and daycare, because that was represented. If the policymakers are trying to understand the pet economy, they need to hear from the people running the businesses that do daily dog walks. They provide the In Home Pet Sitting. They administer the medications. They care for senior pets and puppies. They help working families manage pet ownership. We should be a part of this conversation just as much as the boarding and daycare and vet and retail.
Collin 16:38
It's a massive part of the entire ecosystem, and it operates very differently from retail or veterinary medicine.
Meghan 16:44
Think about if you had a moment where you realized your business wasn't being counted in the conversation that should have included you. Maybe this was a networking event or a pet group in your area, that the dog walkers and pet sitters should be a part of this conversation. And that's why it's important to kind of put ourselves out there. It's not easy. We know some of us introverts don't like doing that, but it is important we are legitimate businesses,
Collin 17:08
which is why representation matters. Because you should be writing into your representatives right now to write about why they should include dog walkers and pet sitters in the FICA extension in Section 40 5b that credit. That's where they need to be educated. They don't know that our segment exists because van sickles closing line really struck with me. He said, We are the American small business story. And I believe that that's true for independent pet care businesses as well. A lot of these companies started with someone noticing a need, someone realizing that pets needed care during the workday, or that anxious animals did better at home than in kennels, and then built from that again, client by client, visit by visit. That's the small business story. But when people in government think about the pet industry, the examples they hear shape their understanding if they only hear about vet clinics, franchises and product manufacturers, that becomes the mental picture of the industry and what they look to support and regulate and exclude. But the reality is so much broader. There are more than 35,000 dog walking businesses in the United States alone, representing an industry segment worth an estimated 2.2 to $2.5 billion every year, and that's before counting the broader pet sitting sector. These businesses support hundreds of 1000s of families and their communities, and they're hiring people. They're building out a business. They're adding jobs, they're keeping tax dollars local. They're supporting families in their communities. A lot
Meghan 18:44
of us have staff and payroll, insurance obligations, equipment costs, scheduling, systems, admin, marketing and budgets. We are real businesses. Unfortunately, we don't have a lobbyist in Washington representing us yet. And now a word for Michelle with dog CO,
Speaker 1 19:01
what does it take to scale your pet care business? My name is Michelle Klein. I'm the founder of dog CO, launch where pet care companies come to grow and scale. And I want to send you a case study of how one of my clients took his monthly revenue in just one year from $17,000 to over $73,000 and yes, that is monthly revenue, not annual. To get this case study and to learn more about dog CO and what we do and how we help companies go to dog CO, launch.com forward slash case study,
Meghan 19:34
let's think about what if a dog walker and pet sitter had been in the room. We want to do a little thought experiment. So if somebody from our industry, our silo of the industry, had actually been invited to testify at this hearing, what would they have said? Because if the Senate is going to talk about the pet economy, someone should probably explain what this sector actually looks like, that there are massive businesses in in this section. So if we imagine a fourth witness sitting at this table. Possible, maybe the introduction would sound something like this. Mrs. operates a professional dog walking and pet sitting company in Missouri that employs a team of staff and provides In Home Pet Care for pets while their owners are at work or traveling. If that witness had five minutes to testify, I think it would probably sound something like this. Thank you. Chair Ernst, Ranking Member, Markey and members of the committee. My name is Meghan and I am the co owner of a professional dog walking and pet sitting company in Missouri. Our company provides In Home Pet Care Services, daily dog walking, vacation pet sitting and drop in visits, allowing pets to remain in their homes while their owners are at work or traveling. We employ 15 people and serve families across two communities. The pet economy is growing. Pet spending in the United States reached $157 billion in 2025 a record high, representing a 75% increase since 2018 57% of US households now own at least one pet. Those numbers reflect something real. Pets have become central to American Family Life, and as that's happened, the infrastructure required to support responsible pet ownership has grown alongside it. The Independent dog walking and pet sitting sector is a meaningful part of that infrastructure. According to industry research, there are more than 35,000 dog walking businesses in the United States, representing an annual market of approximately 2.2 to $2.5 billion this figure doesn't include boarding, daycare or grooming. It reflects only the businesses that enter people's homes, businesses like mine. These businesses are not franchises. They do not own real estate. They do not manufacture products. They are neighborhood service businesses built on something that is genuinely difficult to scale. Trust our clients give us their keys to their homes, their alarm codes and the responsibility to care for animals they consider family members. That level of access and the accountability that comes with it is the foundation of our businesses and the standard that separates professional pet care companies from casual service providers. Every day, our team enters dozens of homes to care for pets who cannot attend daycare, animals who are elderly, who require medications, who experience significant stress in unfamiliar environments. We serve working families whose schedules make midday care a practical necessity, not a luxury. In many ways, what we do makes modern pet ownership possible for households that otherwise struggle to maintain it. Like most small service businesses, we face real struggles, and there are two areas where this committee can make a concrete difference. The first is health insurance. Small pet care businesses want to offer their employees meaningful benefits. The ability to do so directly affects our capacity to recruit and retain qualified people, but premiums have been increasingly difficult to absorb. Passing the association health plans Act would provide meaningful relief to 1000s of self employed pet care professionals and small employers who currently pay full individual market rates or go without coverage entirely. The second is tax equity for tipped workers. Pet Care is service work. Our employees are tipped for the care they provide, just as workers in other service industries are extending the section 40 5b FICA tip credit to the full range of professional pet care workers, dog walkers, pet sitters and groomers alike, would reduce payroll costs for small employers and deliver a direct benefit to the frontline workers who care for America's pets. This is a common sense extension of a provision that already recognizes the value of tipped service work in other industries beyond those two specific asks, the rapid growth of gig economy platforms has created genuine confusion for pet owners about the difference between casual app based providers and licensed, insured, professionally operated companies. Federal guidelines supporting clear consumer disclosure standards like distinguishing hobbyist marketplaces from regulated service businesses would benefit pet owners and the legitimate businesses that serve them. What we need more than anything is to be able to plan, to know what's coming, make decisions with confidence and actually say to our team, we've got you. We are also the American small business story we started from nothing, built on trust, and continue to serve our communities every single day as Congress considers policies that support the Small Business pet economy, I would encourage the committee to recognize the important role played by independent In Home Pet Care Providers, these businesses create local jobs, support working families and improve the welfare of pets by allowing them to remain in their homes with their routines in the same environment. Thank you for the opportunity to share our perspective.
Collin 24:23
That would have been a pretty good addition to the hearing. I think. Thank you very much. And honestly, that's the entire point here. The pet economy is getting attention at the national level now, but the people who represent the industry need to reflect how the industry actually works. The reality is, again, 1000s of professional pet sitters and dog walkers are part of the story. You listening. You are part of this story. You're running small businesses, you're employing staff, you're supporting families, you're caring for pets every single day. And we believe that if Congress wants to understand the pet economy. Me, your voice should be part of that conversation.
Meghan 25:03
If you want to make sure they are, there's something you can actually do. You can write to your representatives. That's what we did this past week. Absolutely. You can tell your story, and that's what we did. You can put your name to the idea that this industry deserves a seat at the table. You can put your name to the idea that this industry deserves a seat at the table. If you scroll down on the show notes, we have linked a template that you can use and send directly to your representative, remember that you don't just run a pet sitting business. You are part of a much bigger industry story. We want you to be sharing that as well. Thank you so much for listening today. We hope that this was helpful. We'd also like to thank our sponsors, pet sitters, associates and dog coat launch. We'll talk with you next time bye. You.
