Live-in carePets
Can a live-in carer look after a pet?
Yes, almost always. We asked every carer on PrimeCarers which animals they’d happily live alongside: 86% would care for fish, 80% for cats and 74% for dogs, and 93% will feed a pet as part of the role. The questions are which pet and which jobs. Here’s the live data, and exactly what to agree before a carer moves in.
By James Bowdler, founder of PrimeCarers · Updated August 2026
of carers are happy to care for dogs
The short answer
Yes. Most carers are happy to look after pets
A live-in carer can look after a pet, and most are glad to: of the 4,809 active carers on PrimeCarers who’ve told us their pet comfort, 86% would care for fish, 80% for cats and 74% for dogs, and 93% will feed a pet as part of their role. Pet care isn’t automatic, though: it’s part of the carer’s agreed duties, so the tasks, the routine and the backup plan should all be settled before the carer moves in.
Most carers say yes
85% of active carers list at least one pet they’re happy to live with. Cats are welcomed by 4 in 5 carers, dogs by 3 in 4, and fish by almost everyone. Check your pet.
Feeding is near-universal
93% of carers will feed a pet, 70% will empty litter trays and 65% will walk a dog. Vet runs and grooming are less certain: see the full job list.
Agree it up front
Pet care counts as part of the carer’s duties, so it belongs in the care plan: tasks, routines and backup cover, agreed before day one. Use the pet-plan checklist.
All figures are live profile data from carers on PrimeCarers, updated August 2026, not a one-off survey. New to live-in care? Start with how it works.
Check your pet
Will a carer be comfortable with your pet?
Every carer on PrimeCarers tells us which animals they’re happy living alongside, and our search only shows you carers who match. Pick your pet to see the numbers, then browse the carers behind them.
3,554 of 4,809 carers are happy to live with dogs (3 in 4).
Walks, feeding and company: for many carers a dog is a bonus, not a chore.
Browse dog-friendly carersHow the pets compare
Live profile data, August 2026. Percentages are of the 4,809 active carers who’ve answered the pet question; carers who haven’t are excluded.
The job description
What pet jobs will a live-in carer do?
We also ask carers which pet tasks they’d take on; 4,007 have answered. Feeding is close to universal; the further a job gets from the daily household routine, the more it needs agreeing by name. Like housework, pet care is part of the role when it’s in the plan, and a favour when it isn’t.
Feed the pet
93%
Near-universal: mealtimes for the household simply grow by one.
Empty litter trays
70%
Most will, but say so explicitly if it needs doing every day.
Let the pet in and out at night
70%
Fine for most carers; agree what “night” means so it doesn’t eat into their rest.
Walk the pet
65%
Two in three will walk a dog, and many see it as a welcome part of the daily routine.
Take the pet to the vet
52%
Around half. It depends on driving arrangements and your pet’s temperament in transit.
Wash and groom the pet
45%
The least-loved job. For a big or nervous dog, a professional groomer is the kinder answer.
What’s never part of the deal
The bills stay yours
Food, insurance, vet fees and the groomer are the owner’s costs. The carer’s rate covers their time and care, never your pet’s expenses.
The daily break needs cover
Live-in carers take a daily break of around two hours, so decide who covers the lunchtime walk before the carer starts. How carers’ hours work.
Some jobs need a professional
Sole care of a high-energy working dog, heavy grooming or medical treatment for the animal itself is a dog walker’s, groomer’s or vet’s job, not a carer’s.
Why it matters
Keeping your pet is a health decision, not a luxury
Families sometimes feel awkward asking about the dog. There’s no need: for many older people a pet is their biggest daily source of routine, exercise and company, and the research shows that keeping the two of them together supports the owner’s health.
Less loneliness, even with dementia
The UK’s IDEAL programme followed 1,532 people living with mild to moderate dementia. Those who had a dog and stayed involved in its care were less likely to feel lonely, and staying involved was what made the difference.
Routine, exercise and calm
Pet ownership in later life is linked to lower blood pressure and more daily activity: older dog walkers are far more likely to hit the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week. A pet also gives each day structure and purpose.
The alternative is separation
Most care homes can’t take a resident’s pet, and pet charities report thousands of animals are given up each year when owners move into care. With a live-in carer, neither you nor your pet has to move anywhere.
Keeping your pet is a real advantage live-in care holds over residential care, and the costs compare well too. See how the costs compare with a care home. For a couple with a dog, staying home usually wins on every line.
Sources: IDEAL programme, University of Exeter (2021) · Human Animal Bond Research Institute · Blue Cross on pets and care homes
Before day one
Agree the pet plan before anyone moves in
In years of matching carers and families, we’ve never seen a pet end an arrangement, but we have seen arrangements strained by things nobody agreed at the start. These eight decisions prevent that. Work through them with the family, then put the answers in the job post and the care plan.
The pet plan
0/8Tick each point as you settle it. The essentials take one honest conversation.
Settling these face to face? Our guides to interviewing live-in carers and hiring one cover the rest of the conversation.
What clients say
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Your pet questions, answered
The questions families ask us most when there’s a dog at the door or a cat on the bed. Prefer to talk it through with a person?
Free, friendly and no obligation.
There’s no standard pet surcharge. On PrimeCarers you agree a weekly rate directly with your carer, and light pet duties like feeding the cat or letting the dog out are normally just part of household life. If the pet workload is heavy (several animals, long daily walks), expect it to be reflected in the rate you agree. Your pet’s own costs (food, insurance, vet bills) always stay with you.
They’ll rule themselves out before you ever meet, which is exactly what you want. Every carer on PrimeCarers records which animals they’re comfortable living with, and the search only shows you carers who match your pets. Mention every animal in your job post, and allergies or phobias never make it to the interview stage.
Yes. A carer’s duties are whatever was agreed in the care plan, pet care included. That’s exactly why you agree the tasks up front: once they’re in the plan, there’s nothing to refuse later. Around 1 in 4 carers aren’t comfortable with dogs and 1 in 5 with cats, so mention the pet early. Once a carer has agreed the plan, your pet is part of their job.
Live-in carers take a daily break of around two hours, plus longer breaks between placements, so the dog needs a plan B. Most families use a relative, a neighbour or a local dog walker for the lunchtime slot, and a respite carer (who takes on the same agreed pet duties) for holidays. See our guide to how many hours a live-in carer works.
About half of carers (52%) say they’ll do vet runs. It usually comes down to transport: whether the carer drives, whose car is insured for it, and how your pet travels. Agree the routine vet plan up front, and name who makes decisions in an emergency. Related: can a live-in carer drive you (or your pet) somewhere?
Acceptance is lower but far from zero: 41% of carers are comfortable with lizards, 31% with spiders and 28% with snakes, which is still 1,300 to 2,000 real carers on PrimeCarers. Be specific in your job post about the animal and its setup; a secure, self-contained enclosure that the carer never has to open reassures most people. If the carer only needs to be near the animal rather than care for it, say so, as it widens the pool.
It narrows the pool a little, but not enough to notice for common pets: over 3,500 carers are happy with dogs and over 3,800 with cats. The mistake that does cost families time is mentioning the pet late: a carer who’d have filtered themselves out gets interviewed, and everyone starts again. Put the pet in the first line of the job post and the pool you’re choosing from is 100% pet-comfortable.
This is one of the practical advantages of live-in care: the carer is already living in your home, and many families simply keep the arrangement running during a short hospital stay so the house and the pet are looked after, with the same familiar face there when you come home. Agree in advance whether that’s what you’d want and at what rate, and keep a family member or boarding option as backup for longer stays.
Go deeper
Every live-in care question, answered
We've written plain-English guides to every question families ask us. Start with what matters most to you.
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