A New York teacher quit their job to become a dog walker

Have you ever wanted to quit your job and become a dog walker? Well one former New York teacher did just that and he’s making over $100,000 now.

Many of us know that teachers do not make a lot of money. And for one teacher who used to teach in New York, his salary was under $40,000 a year. So is it any surprise that while he was working he decided to take on a side hustle to make some extra money? We don’t think so.

The side hustle that he decided was for him involved walking dogs. And we love that for him. After walking dogs for a while and ultimately earning even more money than he was as a teacher, Michael Josephs, formally of Brooklyn, New York decided to take the dog walking gig to the next level. And that meant becoming a professional dog walker.

This New York teacher quit teaching to become a full time dog walker

According to the New York Post, Josephs started out by supplementing his annual salary as a special needs teacher. Considering he enjoyed walking his own black Labrador mix, and the fact that he was receiving plenty of compliments from local dog owners about his dog, as well as people asking him if he was available to walk their own dogs, it just makes sense that he might become a dog walker.

When he realized that he could actually make similar money to his teaching paycheck, he ended up walking away from being a teacher. He decided to focus on his work with an app that helps connect dog owners with people willing to walk and watch their dogs. Following his success with that company, he decided to start his own business watching and walking dogs. In one year he had made $35,000 and even had plenty of regular clients.

In just a few short years, Josephs went from being a full time teacher making under $40,000 per year to a dog walker with his own company, a homeowner in New Jersey with his family, employees, and an income of $120,000 in 2022.

Being a dog walker may not be for everyone, but thanks to apps like Rover and Paway (and now even the app created by Michael Josephs), people can get the help they need to take care of their dogs when they aren’t home. And for others, it is a chance to start a side hustle that might just change the way you look at what you do for a paycheck every week.

If you have ever wanted to be a dog walker yourself, even as a side hustle, you may want to check out some of the apps available to help connect you with local pet parents looking for someone to walk their dogs while they’re at work, watch their dog overnight, and even some other small things that will make it easier for them to take care of their pet when they have to work or go out of town. After all, you never know if that side hustle could become a $100,000 opportunity.