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The History Of The First Known Professional Dog Walker
A young lady in late 19th century New York City caused a stir when it was discovered by a reporter that she was walking dogs for a living
Over the years dog walking has evolved into a valued and relevant profession. Particularly in more urban areas, those owning dogs find services that provide regular exercise and potty breaks to their furry friends as valuable as a parent might for daycare service, especially when returning home in the middle of a day to do it yourself may just not be feasible. However, it wasn’t always this way and the appearance of the first known professional dog walker in the late 1890s in New York City was viewed as such a curiosity that it led to the New York Times writing a feature investigating what it was all about.
It’s been estimated by Zippia that there are more than 15,000 professional dog walkers in the United States alone, earning an average annual salary of around $30,000. A little more than 70% of them are women, and the areas that employ the most are New York City and Chicago. On average, a walker will take out 13 dogs a day, but not necessarily at the same time, as the National Association of Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers recommend walking no more than four together at any one time.
