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by Hope

Let’s talk about the side hustle that doesn’t feel like work most days. Dog sitting.

I’ve been doing this on Rover for a while now. And this summer, it actually added up to something real.

Here’s what Rover alone paid out.

• April: $202.50
• July into August: $672.00
• Early September: $144.00

That’s just Rover. That doesn’t count the dogs I sit for friends and family, outside the app, no fees attached, just people I already know trusting me with their pups. Between both, Rover and the friends-and-family jobs, it’s brought in an extra $2,000 this summer. Two thousand dollars. From dogs.

How I manage it and caretaking.

I keep my service area tight. On purpose.

I don’t take jobs across town. I don’t drive an hour for a booking. I keep everything close to home, close to dad. That’s not an accident. I tell every single client that up front, before they even book. I need to be able to get back to dad quickly if he needs me. Always.

It means I say no to some jobs. It means my radius is smaller than it could be. But it means I never have to choose between a paycheck and being there for him. That’s not a trade I’m willing to make.

This week I get to watch a pack of five. I was so excited to meet a “crazy” person like me who loves a houseful of dogs. Many of you all will remember me and my 5 kids with 7 dogs. The good ole days!

Five dogs. All week. I am so excited I can barely stand it. There’s something about a house full of wagging tails and different personalities all figuring out how to share space that just… fills me up. It’s chaos. Good chaos.

The real math of it.

An extra $2,000 didn’t come from one big client or one lucky break. It came from small, steady bookings. A weekend here. A week there. Dogs I’ve come to love like my own. And it fit into a life that already has a lot going on.

Sometimes the side hustle that helps the most isn’t the flashy one. Sometimes it’s just… dogs. And love. And staying close to home.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.