I won’t let my own 3rd and 5th graders walk our dog. Too many other dogs, many of them aggressive and poorly behaved, to manage interactions with safely.

I would definitely hire your fourth grader (like I do with my own 10 yo) as a mini handyman - feed pets, water plants, weed. But my 10 yo cannot handle our hound.

Your kid is too young for dog walking but I'd hire him for watering outside plants and picking up stray newspapers/mail while we were on vacation.

We've owned dogs for 17+ years (and I grew up with them) and they do not always behave as expected. We currently have a 3.5 yo, 60 lb doodle who came to us trained by a professional. He's an awesome dog who is usually very well behaved/great on a leash! BUT, he got super excited when he saw one of his dog friends and pulled my 3rd grader over, causing bad scrapes. He weighs more than her!

Anonymous wrote:I would hire a 4th grader to feed my cat while I’m on vacation, but there’s no way they would be able to handle our 50 lb dog.

Agree. Especially with summer vacations coming up, people might be more interested in hiring him for short term help with small pets. Especially if he can include that he will check the porch for packages/flyers.

Nope, sorry.

Vast majority of escaped pets happen when they are with someone other than the owner—pet sitter, dog walker, new foster family. Add to it that your son is only 10 and kids are prone to making mistakes and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Plus a huge safety liability. What happens if a loose dog runs up to him? Or the dog lunges at a car in the road? Or growls at a person walking funny while he’s walking it? Too many opportunities for someone to get hurt.

That age is great for pet sitting hamsters and Guinea pigs and fish.

He is far, far too young.

I'd hired a 10 year old to feed my cat, fish and water my plants while we were gone. But my lab is massive and strong, and some days I can barely walk him.

I would hire a 4th grader to feed my cat while I’m on vacation, but there’s no way they would be able to handle our 50 lb dog.

Too young.

I don't think there's anything you need to do here. Let him or her try and let them see what happens.

Dogs need to be walked daily. Is this going to be a daily job? Most kids are not this dependable. Why would someone need an occasional once a week dog walker if not daily?

Natural consequences will determine this. We have a strong dog even though they are docile and would not have confidence in a young person. Likely you can let her reach out and try to find business. I'm guessing She/and the dog owner will not be in sync, but it could be useful for her to find this out on her own. But then, again, she may never know why it isn't working out for her. Re: reliability: usually if help is needed, every single day is needed.

He should start with indoor pets. Cats, birds, hamsters.

4th grade is way too young. I would not consider hiring anyone for this position under the age of 12/13.

in neighborhood. Has anyone's kid ever done this and should I discourage it?