Sam Amico
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but apparently, you can teach a teacher how to walk a dog. And it seemingly will pay that teacher very well if you do. Or in the case of Michael Josephs of New York, a former teacher.
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He gave up his job at the school in favor of walking dogs. As a teacher, he made less than $40,000. As a dog-walker, he said he earns at least three times that much.
“It’s been a blessing,” Josephs told the New York Post.
Joseph, 34, hails from Brooklyn but has bought a house in New Jersey thanks to his dog-walking days. He is even setting aside money for college for his 18-month old.
Michael Josephs, The Dog Walker
The fun began in 2019, when he decided to start walking dogs as a side hustle to his teaching gig. It almost happened by accident — as Josephs was walking his own dog, when people started asking if he would walk their dogs too.
By the end of that year, he decided to start his own dog-walking business, compiling a list of clients who paid him $20 for a 30-minute stroll. Last year, he said he made $120,000.
In the past three years, he’s added several employees and puppy training and overnight puppy-sitting to his business, officially known as Parkside Pups.
Now, along with the regular walking fees, he charges $60 an hour for training and $65 a day for the sitting. He added that he undoubtedly stays busy, and despite the fun of the job, he never dogs it. In this line of work, you have to go all-out.
“I love this business — it’s always been about the pups for me!” he told the Post. “They give you excitement and loyalty. There’s not many downsides to that.”
