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August 2025 | Beth Stultz-Hairston, Pet Sitters International

Disclaimer: This blog post covers ADHD and how to navigate pet sitting if you have ADHD— topics we feel are important in our industry. You’ll also see tips regarding navigating ADHD challenges in this post. However, nothing in this post constitutes a diagnosis or medical advice. We encourage you to consult with medical and mental-health professionals for questions regarding ADHD and/or to establish your personalized care plan.

A career in professional pet sitting or dog walking offers flexibility, the opportunity to be your own boss, and the joy of working with animals. But starting, growing and running a small business is hard work.

As a pet sitter or dog walker, you are a pet-care specialist, but you also must be a marketer, a customer service agent, a content creator, and a manager (even if you have no staff and just manage yourself).

For neurodivergent entrepreneurs, particularly those with ADHD, these roles can be both fulfilling and challenging. But don’t be discouraged! Your neurodivergence can be your superpower and understanding and addressing the unique obstacles you may face can pave the way for pet-sitting success.

Living with ADHD—and Running a Pet-Care Business

Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have lower brain activity in areas that impact their executive functions, including the ability to plan, make decisions and steer and focus their attention. While the condition starts in childhood, many do not “outgrow” ADHD, and it can impact your mental health, relationships, friendships and work performance, (source: Cleveland Clinic).

ADHD is commonly characterized by symptoms such as impulsiveness, distractibility, and difficulty with organization and time management.

There are many ADHD traits that can impact various aspects of running a pet-care business.

Let’s take a closer look:

• Time Management: You may have difficulty estimating how long pet-sitting visits or other tasks will take, which can lead to overbooking or missed appointments. With time blindness, you may also lose track of how long you’ve been at a visit or working on a particular task. All of this can make sticking to a schedule especially tricky!
  
  Mehgan, who’s been a PSI member since 2020, shared that she struggles the most with getting started and has an extremely difficult time getting up in the mornings. She says that because of this, she “almost always starts morning visits later” than she meant to.
  
  
• Organization: You may struggle to manage schedules and client information. Perhaps you’ve lost client keys or forgotten where you documented their alarm code. If you manage a team, creating their schedule or keeping up with important employment paperwork can be a struggle. Without structured systems in place, pet-care routines and business processes may become overwhelming and chaotic.

Another pet sitter, Alexa, who has been a PSI member for a little more than three years, says that she has had so many keys get locked in houses—and that she gets “overwhelmed a lot, especially when so many requests come in and are time sensitive.”

• Consistency: You may find it difficult to follow regular routines for pets, maintain communication with clients, or reliably complete day-to-day business tasks. Some days you breeze through your to-do list but struggle to stay on track on other days. You may find yourself implementing new business ideas but not sticking with the new measures after a short time. This can also make marketing your business more challenging. For example, you may invest resources into advertising for your business but then fail to regularly follow up with the potential client leads generated. 
  
  
• Financial Management: Unless it’s your current hyper fixation, you may dread numbers! Tracking expenses, setting appropriate pricing, and budgeting require sustained attention to detail. You may also find that you have a backlog of unpaid invoices from clients or late notices from payments you’ve forgotten to make—and you don’t want to even think about the records you need to keep for your taxes! Business owners with ADHD are not inherently “bad at money,” but various ADHD traits may cause you to struggle to manage your financial records and ensure profitability.
  
  
• Receiving Feedback: Individuals with ADHD may struggle with emotional dysregulation and tend to overthink social interactions. Some may experience Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), experiencing extreme emotional pain in response to rejection and criticism (real or perceived). You may struggle to respond to client complaints or various rejections you face as you work to market your services and grow your business.
  
  Jessyca, a professional pet-sitting business owner who’s been a PSI member since 2022, shared that RSD has made it difficult for her to implement marketing ideas other members have suggested, such as working with apartment complexes or veterinary offices. Because she was turned away twice previously when trying to connect with a vet’s office and apartment complex, she says, “my brain has convinced me that I suck, and no one wants to work with me.”
  
  Brittney, who joined PSI earlier this year, echoed this struggle with RSD and says that her feelings get heightened when experiencing any conflict with clients. She shared that her latest struggle is sticking to the increased pricing she implemented and reminding herself of what she’s worth, even if she gets complaints on this change from clients.

Practical Strategies for Overcoming ADHD Challenges

If you have ADHD and are concerned about its impact on your pet-sitting career, the good news is you are not alone and there are practical ways to address these challenges to ensure you can thrive as a pet sitter or dog walker and business owner.

While there are many traits (and associated challenges) associated with ADHD, your experiences will be unique to you. So, consider these tips and use the strategies that address your specific pain points.

Implement Structured Systems

If you have ADHD, schedules can sometimes feel boring and restrictive, but forgetting important business tasks or struggling to handle common business situations feels even worse.

To address issues with disorganization, time management or inconsistency you may struggle with, utilize:

• Pet-Sitter Software: Paper and pen still work great for many pet sitters (if you don’t misplace the papers!), but transitioning to online tools can reduce mistakes and increase efficiency.  There are now multiple options for pet-sitter software you can use for scheduling and client management.  Finding the right software platform for your business will enable you to keep track of visits, client information and invoices and payments. Plus, you’ll have all your need-to-know information in a central place that you can’t lose.
  
  
• Other Digital Tools: Don’t stop at pet-sitter software! There are various digital tools that can help you better run your pet-sitting business. Apps like Meta Business Suite allow you to manage and schedule your company’s Facebook and Instagram content all in one place. Online programs like QuickBooks or Wave can simplify the process of accurately tracking expenses and reconciling your accounts. To help you track your mileage, QuickBooks has a GPS tracking feature, and the Wave app offers integration with a third-party app called Driversnote. Other apps for tracking your mileage include MileIQ, TripLog, Everlance, and Stride (available in Apple App store).
  Please note: PSI is not affiliated with any of these programs, so we encourage you to research your options and read reviews as you determine what apps may work best for you.
  
  
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): To minimize the negative impact poor executive function can have on your business, it’s important to develop clear SOPs. Establishing, documenting and following policies and procedures in your company ensures that clients receive consistent, high-quality services and allows your business to run more safely and efficiently.
  
  The Standard Operating Procedures Manual Template included with PSI’s Employment Forms Bundle divides the SOPs into three main categories: Office Procedures (e.g., office hours, assignment scheduling), Service Procedures (e.g., pet-sitting visits, refusal of service, key management), and Emergencies (e.g., pet escapes, automobile accidents). SOPs are vital to help you run your business as a neurodivergent business owner, but they are also equally important for your team members if you use staff. (Be sure to check out this follow up post for more tips if you manage team members with ADHD.)
  
  Along this same line, look for opportunities to standardize your business communications and activities whenever possible. Sharon, a PSI member who operates an award-winning pet-sitting service in California, shared that she has bipolar disorder which has many ADHD traits and has found having routines to be extremely important, especially since there’s no such thing as a routine day when operating a pet-sitting business. Some things that have helped her include “having pre-written emails to send, handling onboarding the same every time and having a binder with all this information.” She shared that doing this “takes away the thinking part,” which helps her when she’s overwhelmed.  
  
  
• Visual Reminders: Inattention is a common symptom of ADHD, which can cause issues like losing everyday items. Then, while not recognized as a medical condition/symptom, many with ADHD also report struggling with object permanence, i.e., “out of sight, out of mind,” (Source: MedicalNewsToday).   
  
  Visual reminders can help you combat both inattention and object permanence issues. Use calendars, checklists, and alarms to stay on top of tasks and appointments. Store office and pet supplies in clear containers that are kept on a shelf that is in your main working space and in your line of vision, or if kept in your vehicle, not buried under piles in your backseat or in the trunk. Whether your to-do list is online or written on paper,  consider a color-coded system (e.g., client-facing tasks are highlighted in blue, personal appointments are highlighted in yellow) to draw attention to the most important tasks. Use an online timer with a progress bar or alarm notifications (or even a sand timer on your desk) to help you stay on task and within your schedule when doing office work. Find visual reminders that work for you and use them to supplement any online tools you may already use.

Set Realistic Goals and Deadlines

Have you ever created a pet-sitting schedule you were so confident you could handle, only to find yourself working 16-hour days? Or maybe you had an amazing idea to improve your local marketing, but then a year passes and you haven’t taken the first step?

Setting reasonable business and personal goals and creating doable action plans (that you can stick to!) help your business progress and prevent overwhelm. Keep these best practices in mind:

• Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals: You’re likely familiar with this acronym already. Any goals you set should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic and timebound. This PSI blog post walks you through the process of setting smart goals for your pet-sitting business.
  
  
• Break Down Tasks: Whether you are organizing your pet-sitting schedule for the week, preparing your financial records for tax time, or planning a social-media campaign to promote your business before the holidays, implement a step-by-step process. Divide larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps to prevent overwhelm and for projects you need to regularly complete, be sure you’ve documented them in your SOPs.
  
  
• Use Timers: You may find it difficult to stay focused for even ten minutes in some cases, but other times find you spend three hours going down a rabbit hole on TikTok. Using a timer or utilizing a time management technique can help you stay on task (and dedicate the appropriate amount of time) on business tasks.  
  
  Using the Pomodoro Technique—25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break—to maintain productivity is typically thought to work well for those with ADHD. Apps often suggested to help those with ADHD better manage time and projects include Todoist, TickTick (not to be confused with TikTok, which definitely won’t help!) and Amazing Marvin. There’s also Finch that gamifies task management and has you care for a virtual pet (sounds perfect for pet sitters!). Again, PSI is not affiliated with any of the platforms or programs mentioned here; we are simply sharing recommendations that have been mentioned as helpful to those with ADHD.

Focus on Your Mental and Physical Well-Being

Research has shown that ADHD is associated with various adverse physical issues, including obesity, poor sleep, physical injury, and hypertension. Those with ADHD are also more likely to experience mental-health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Consider, too, that being a small-business owner and working in a caring profession also presents unique challenges that can impact your physical and mental health.

Focus on:

• Professional Help: Work closely with both medical and mental-health professionals. Be honest about your ADHD symptoms and how they impact both your personal and professional life. Work closely with your doctor(s) to find a care plan that works best for you. Your care plan may include medication combined with individual or group therapy. Jordan, a PSI member and 20+ year industry veteran, shared that she finally got a diagnosis last year and was prescribed ADHD medication, which has been a huge help.
  
  Research shows that therapy can also be a very important tool when navigating ADHD symptoms. Several types of therapy, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based therapy and neurofeedback, can be effective. CBT is often recommended for RSD, as it can help you identify and change thought patterns that are negatively impacting you.There are also coaches and support groups that focus specifically on helping those with ADHD. Research the credentials of any coach or group you consider and work closely with your medical team to develop and stick with a plan that works for you.
  
  Don’t forget your physical health. Work with your primary care doctor (or any specialists you may be referred to) to address any health issues (e.g., hypertension, headaches, weight concerns, etc.) you may be facing. Practice healthy habits as well—exercise regularly, meal prep and focus on healthy whole foods, and make time for rest and relaxation. Many insurance policies now also offer free or very-discounted nutrition counseling, so that may be something you want to explore.
  
  
• Coping Strategies: This is an important area to work on with your doctor(s), and finding and implementing the coping strategies that work best for you can have a huge impact on improving your physical and mental well-being as you navigate ADHD struggles. Grounding techniques (e.g., deep breathing, counting) can be helpful, as can journaling. Consider keeping a journal specifically for your pet-sitting business so you can write down and process stressful situations you encounter as a pet-care professional and business owner. Journaling can also be helpful in helping you explore your feelings and practice self-compassion, which is very important if RSD is one of the ADHD traits you deal with.
  
  
• Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: As noted, ADHD impacts your mental health, and you may discover you are more susceptible to burnout. The emotional labor involved in caring for pets, especially those with special needs or behavioral issues, can lead to exhaustion and because you are in a caring profession, you may also be susceptible to compassion fatigue. It’s important to understand what compassion fatigue and burnout are and how they can impact pet sitters. If you have a team, you should also make sure these topics are covered in their initial training and that they are regularly discussed.
  
  PSI members, for more information on burnout and compassion fatigue in our industry, visit this section of PSI’s Learning Library. Recordings from PSI’s 2024 Pet Sitter Mental Health and Wellness Summit are also free and available to the public.

Build a Support Network

Pet sitting can be lonely, especially if you are a sole proprietor. You may feel like you are on an island trying to figure out everything by yourself. A strong support network is important for all entrepreneurs, and it can make a big difference in helping those with ADHD manage their symptoms and combat isolation.

Try these ideas:

• Accountability Partner: Sometimes the easiest person to break a promise to is yourself. If you have ADHD, the executive dysfunction, time blindness and memory issues can make sticking to your plans even more difficult. Share your goals with a mentor, your business coach or consultant, a pet-sitting colleague, or even a close friend. It’s important to choose an accountability partner who’s willing to meet with you (or at least check in) on a regular basis to keep you motivated and on track.
  
  
• Body Doubling: Another unique option that can be particularly helpful if you have ADHD is body doubling. Think about a specific task for your business that find especially annoying…the one that makes you procrastinate as long as you can. It may be reconciling your client invoices at the end of each month, crafting and scheduling your social-media content, or making yourself sit down to complete online courses (even though you know continuing education is so important for pet sitters!).
  
  Here’s how it works: When it’s time to complete one of those dreaded tasks invite someone over—a friend, team member or even fellow pet-care business owner—to be your “body double.” They don’t have to be working on the same project you are, but they need to also be doing something. Body doubling helps by creating accountability and spicing up your regular routine (dopamine boost!). If there’s no one that can join you in person, have your body double work alongside you virtually on Zoom.
  
  
• Networking Groups: Join online communities or local groups of pet-care professionals to share experiences and advice. There are various Facebook groups like PSI’s Professional Pet Sitters Chat (members only) you can participate in, but also look for local pet-sitter networks for in-person opportunities. If there’s not a local network, consider starting one! PSI members, you can search pet-sitter networks by state and access tips for starting a network here.
  
  
• Building Your Team: You don’t have to do it alone! Consider hiring a virtual assistant (VA) or administrative support to handle tasks that are particularly challenging. Play to your strengths. When pet-care business owners think of hiring, they often automatically think of finding team members to walk dogs or pet sit. But don’t limit yourself! If you excel at the actual pet care but struggle with other tasks, hire staff or use the services of a VA for customer service, social-media marketing, bookkeeping or any other tasks you find especially difficult. If any of your pet-sitting staff has ADHD, check out our post about managing team members with ADHD.

Leverage ADHD Strengths

Remember when I said ADHD could be your superpower as a pet-care business owner? It’s all about leveraging the positive characteristics of ADHD that give you a unique advantage as a business owner. Consider these characteristics:

• Creativity: Research shows that those with ADHD are often more creative and innovative. Whether you are looking for new ways to market your pet-sitting services or trying to find a solution to a particularly challenging situation with a client or team members, those characteristics will help. Make sure you allow yourself time to use your creativity. Schedule “brain dumps”—specific time slots you put on your schedule (just like you would a pet-sitting visit) dedicated to brainstorming ideas and strategies for your business. Also keep a dedicated note in the Notes app on your phone where you can quickly type any ideas that come to mind for your business (and then check your Notes app regularly).  
  
  
• Energy: With ADHD you may find that you have fluctuating energy throughout the day. Identify the time(s) of day you have high energy and plan your schedule to maximize these times. Let’s say you have a team but also do pet-sitting visits yourself. If you know that your energy is high in the morning but wanes after lunch, assign more morning pet-sitting visits to yourself and focus on hiring team members with afternoon and evening availability. You can also channel your high energy into engaging with clients and promoting your services. When possible, avoid scheduling initial consultations or participating in community events during times you know your energy will be low.
  
  
• Focus/Hyperfocus: As with energy, it’s also important to plan your schedule to maximize your periods of focus, or hyperfocus. If, for example, your ADHD medication helps you focus better in the morning—or if you just naturally have better focus in the early afternoon—dedicate these times to tasks that require more focus, such as scheduling, sending invoices or writing blog posts. When deeply interested in a task, use periods of hyperfocus to accomplish significant work. Channel your high energy into engaging with clients and promoting your services. While not officially listed as a symptom, hyperfocus (i.e., periods of intense concentration) is common for those with ADHD. Hyperfocus can be positive if you are able to channel the intense focus into a specific task or project for your pet-sitting business, but be careful. Make sure that your period of hyperfocus on a specific project—even if it’s an important one for your business—doesn’t result in missing other deadlines, neglecting personal responsibilities or putting yourself in a dangerous situation (e.g., by not being aware of your surroundings, etc.).
  
  Paying better attention to both your energy and focus fluctuations will help you better plan your schedule in a way that best maximizes your strengths and benefits your business.

Have We Lost You Yet?

This is admittedly a very long post, especially if you struggle with attention and focus. Believe me, I struggled writing it but there was so much I wanted to cover! Even with these more than 3,600 words it feels we’ve barely scratched the surface, but I hope this post has given you a good starting point to explore how ADHD impacts pet-care professionals.  I’ve actually already posted a follow up that focuses on managing team members with ADHD since I couldn’t fit it all in this post.

Navigating the pet-care industry as a neurodivergent entrepreneur with ADHD presents unique challenges, but with the right strategies and support, it is entirely possible to thrive. By implementing structured systems, setting realistic goals, building a supportive network, prioritizing self-care, and leveraging your strengths, you can create a successful and fulfilling pet-care business.

Remember, embracing your neurodivergent traits can be a powerful asset in building a successful business, and we’d love to be a part of your journey! If you are already a PSI member, we’d love to hear if any of these strategies have helped you (feel free to comment below). If you’re not a PSI member, we invite you to learn more about membership and how we can support you throughout your pet-sitting career.

Do you have tips that have helped you manage ADHD as a pet-care business owner? We'd love for you to share below!