If you’re a pet business owner active in pet industry Facebook Groups, you’ve likely seen lots of posts of people asking where to get pet sitter contracts, dog trainer contracts, or pet photography contracts. While the demand is out there, sometimes it’s hard to find a place that specializes in what we need as pet business owners.
There are typically two different ways to get contracts for your pet business.
Go through a lawyer to get custom-drafted contracts.
Purchase and customize contract templates (which can still be optimized/edited/proofed by a lawyer).
Now which direction you choose to take here depends on a lot of factors including budget, preference, style, time, you name it!
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer nor is this blog post legal advice. This post is just to point you in the direction of different resources that may be able to help you with contracts.
Before we get into it, let’s discuss the importance of legally protecting yourself and your business with contracts.
Why do you need business contracts?
The simple answer? Peace of mind.
Nothing’s worse than not knowing if you’re protected for x, y, and z, especially if you’re a sole proprietor. Even outside of legal protection, contracts can allow you to avoid potential issues, arguments, and the stress of someone threatening to take legal action, and they can also help you save money, understand your rights, outline boundaries and expectations, put protocols in place, minimize risks, and so so much more!
It’s one of the first steps any expert or professional will recommend you take before offering services.
How do you get pet business contracts?
Small business lawyers can help you draft personalized contracts based on your industry, services, and preferences. If you choose to go this route, I’d recommend finding someone who has experience in your niche (whether it be pet care, dog training, or pet photography). Bonus points if they’re also local (or at least in the same state).
Contract templates can also be a great way to go when it comes to budget, individual preferences, your desired involvement, etc. It can be hard to find lawyers with experience in your niche, so by purchasing a contract template that’s already built for your type of pet business, you’ll be able to make sure all your bases are covered while also potentially having your lawyer look it over for final touches.
If you’re looking for pet business contract templates (for a fraction of the cost of going through a lawyer for custom-drafted ones), check out our recommendations below:
Tip: You can still take your completed contract template to a lawyer for revisions, customization, etc.
Dog Walker and Pet Sitter Contracts
Kristin Morrison’s shop has all sorts of contracts, packages, and bundles for dog walkers and pet sitters, including a business start-up kit, contracts, veterinarian/key release forms, hiring contracts, and so much more! Check out her shop here and get your pet care business protected!
Dog Trainer Contracts
DogBiz has a business toolkit for trainers you can check out right here. Inside, you’ll get contracts and waivers for private dog training, day training, board & trains, public classes, bite history addendum, public class space rental, independent contractor agreement, and photo & video release!
If you have online dog training programs, here are some recommended contracts to have in place:
Pet Photographer Contracts
LawTog is a great resource for contracts for your pet photography business. Explore their contract template specifically for pet photographers here.
Here are some other recommended contracts for photographers, depending on your offerings:
Or, check out all of the LawTog’s contract templates in their shop.
General and Miscellaneous Pet Business Contracts
Website Contracts
Did you know that you are legally required to have a Privacy Policy (and Terms, although not legally required, are highly recommended) on your website if you are taking any sort of visitor information? This includes a website contact form, an email subscribe opt-in, a link to your pet business software, the use of Google Analytics, etc. Shop the templates.
To learn more about this requirement, check out our blog post on the topic.
If you’re hiring a virtual assistant or independent contractor, then this contract is for you.
Contract Amendments and Terminations
Check out the rest of YourLegalBFF’s contract templates here.
Getting contracts set up for your business is an underrated practice, and one we highly recommend getting done before you really need them.
For more resources for your pet business, check out our other related blog posts:
