AI for pet sitters and dog walkers: what it can do, and where to start

By Robert Strickland, founder of NextLevel Pet Businesses · Updated November 14, 2026

I’m Robert Strickland. I started my pet sitting and dog walking business in 2007. The automations I teach are the ones I use in that business: the inquiries, the visit reports, the hiring and the payroll.

So this is not a list of clever tricks. It is the plain version: what AI can do for a business like yours, what it should never touch, and where to start.

What can AI do for a pet sitter or dog walker?

Think of AI as a helper that can read, write and sort. It is good at the jobs that are a little different every time. These examples come from the list of 107 automations on the home page.

Client messages

• Instant inquiry repliesAnswer new inquiries in seconds, day or night, in your voice.
• Tricky reply draftsGet a calm draft reply to a complaint or awkward request, ready for your approval.
• Messages in any languageWrite to clients in Spanish or any language, still in your tone.

Visit reports and pet care

• Visit report writingTurn a sitter’s quick notes into a warm, detailed report card.
• Meet & greet notes to care planTurn a voice memo from the meet & greet into structured care instructions.
• Medication checklistsTurn vet instructions into a clear med checklist for each visit.

Scheduling and walks

• Reservation requestsRead change requests and prepare the schedule edits for your approval.
• Recurring walk setupBuild a client’s weekly walk schedule from one message.
• Coverage swapsWhen a sitter calls out, find who’s free and draft the ask.
• Route planningOrder the day’s visits to cut drive time.

Hiring and the office

• AI application screeningScreen every application against your criteria, so you only see the best ones.
• Job post writingWrite job ads that attract reliable sitters and walkers.
• Email triageSort your inbox, flag what matters and draft replies.
• Your morning briefingOne summary of today’s schedule, messages and to-dos.

Can I use ChatGPT for pet sitting and dog walking?

Yes. People search for “ChatGPT for pet sitters” as if it were a special product. It isn’t. It is the ordinary ChatGPT, or Claude, taught how your business works.

You don’t need pet-only AI software. You need a Mac or a Windows computer and one AI subscription.

Beyond that, bring the tools you already use: your booking software like Time To Pet or Precise Petcare, your email and your calendar. In the Inner Circle we build around what you already have. You don’t need to switch anything.

Which plan? The ones I recommend are in the questions on the home page, because plan names and prices change.

Will AI replace pet sitters and dog walkers?

No. AI can’t clip on a leash, give a cat her medication or notice that an old dog is having an off day.

What it can do is take the paperwork around the care. That leaves more time for the human work: care, judgment and relationships.

Is it safe to use AI with client information?

It can be, if you set the rules first. These are the ones I teach:

• Some things never go into an AI tool: door codes, alarm codes, card numbers and passwords.
• Keep a person in charge of anything that touches a client.
• Test with five people before you send to five hundred.
• Always know where the off switch is.

No tool is risk-free, so you start small. I was building automations before they became cool, which means I was also breaking them before it was cool. Every mistake I made is now a check I build in from the start.

Do I need to be good with technology?

No. If you can send a text, you can do this. There is no code. You just type what you want.

For example, you could type: “Every Monday, check the vaccine records and text each client 30 days before one expires.” The AI helps you build it, and then it runs every Monday without you.

You need one task you are tired of doing, and someone to build the fix with you.

Where should a pet sitter or dog walker start with AI?

Start with one task. Not ten. One.

A good first task comes up every week, eats real time and follows a pattern. Inquiry replies and visit reports are good picks, because you can read every draft before it goes anywhere.

Build it small. Try it with a handful of clients. When it works, turn it on and pick the next one.

For the step-by-step version, read how to automate a pet sitting business. If the two words blur together, AI vs automation explains the difference.