E-Paper
Woman quits law career to become dog walker, now earns up to $530 a day: 'I actually earn more now'
The woman who once aspired to become a criminal defence lawyer, now runs a full-time dog-walking business and earns thousands of pounds more each month.
Prefer HTon Google
A 30-year-old woman in the UK quit her high-flying career as a lawyer to pursue a very different profession: dog walking. Liz East, who once aspired to become a criminal defence lawyer, now runs a full-time dog-walking business and says she earns thousands of pounds more each month while working fewer hours.
According to a report by People magazine, Liz spent four years working as a paralegal in criminal defence before briefly moving into consulting. Her previous job involved everything from administrative work and court appearances to visiting prisons and meeting clients.
“Working in criminal defence was a lot, it was quite draining. I did everything from admin to going to court and going to prisons and chatting with clients,” Liz said. She revealed that her workdays could stretch beyond 12 hours, while her commute to London added another two hours.
“I felt older than what I was. Every day I thought, ‘Is this my life now?’” she recalled.
The 30-year-old said that she also found the expectations surrounding corporate life difficult to sustain. She described a culture in which employees were expected to socialise after work, sometimes not reaching home until 9pm or 10pm.
“I don’t think that’s sustainable for having a family,” she said, adding that people often remain in demanding jobs because the money is good.
Liz shared that her perspective on work changed further after watching her husband, who works in dog walking and boarding, enjoy his job.
“My husband does dog-walking and dog-boarding and he loves his job,” Liz said. “So being around somebody who’s so passionate about what they did, I thought, ‘Why am I dreading work every weekend and working these long hours?’”
(Also Read: Full-time engineer starts 'luxury' dog walking business in NYC, reveals surprising monthly income)
How much does she make in a day?
Liz said that she eventually left her corporate job, bought a van and initially took up work at a local pub while building her dog-walking business. She now typically walks between 20 and 30 dogs across around four outings a day. She charges about $19 an hour per dog and says her daily earnings can range from roughly $400 to $530 (approximately ₹38,000 to ₹50,000).
Her career switch has also surprised people who knew about her law background. “I get some people saying, ‘You went from law to dog-walking? You did all that studying and now you’re just walking dogs?’” she said.
“Some of them were judgmental and think I just wasted six years, but I learnt a lot in those six years that I still use in everyday life now,” she added.
Liz said that some people also assume that she must make significantly less now than she did previously. “But I actually earn more now,” she said, adding, “I’m [making] thousands more per month than I was working in corporate, and do half the hours I used to.”
However, Liz cautioned that dog walking should not be viewed simply as a way to make more money. “You should do it because you want to be outside and want to be with dogs. I love getting up and going to work,” she said.
She added that she doesn’t foresee herself returning to her former career anytime soon.
Reflecting on her decision, she encouraged others unhappy with their careers to consider making a change. “Life is short. Don’t stay in a job where you’re unhappy. Just make the change and go for it. I’ve not regretted it for one single second,” she said.
