Pet sitters and dog walkers in Richmond
Richmond is where the law gets serious about paperwork and tethers alike: Virginia makes a dog licence mandatory statewide — $10 a year here, and the tag is often how a stray gets home — while the city's own ordinance caps tethering at one cumulative hour a day, owner present, never in bad weather. The dog-park side is compact but old-school: Barker Field at Byrd Park has been running since 1998, the oldest official dog park in the city.
Pet care prices in Richmond
Going rates across Richmond, so you know what a fair quote looks like before you book.
| Service | Typical Richmond rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30-minute dog walk | $13–$28 | Rover's Richmond average was $20 a walk in October 2026. |
| 30-minute drop-in visit | $15–$25 | — |
| Boarding in a sitter's home | $32–$52 a night | Rover's Richmond rate ran around $42 a night in 2026. |
| Overnight house sitting at your home | $35–$61 a night | — |
| Mobile grooming | $65–$100 | — |
Providers set their own rates on Kingston’s, so what you pay is what they quote — there is no markup added at checkout. Travelling over Thanksgiving or Christmas? Holiday rates and booking deadlines run higher and fill earlier.
Covering Richmond and City of Richmond
Providers list the parts of Richmond they actually travel to, which is usually a handful of neighbourhoods rather than the whole city. Between them the app covers The Fan, Church Hill, Museum District, Carytown, Scott's Addition, Bellevue, Ginter Park, Jackson Ward, Shockoe Bottom, Forest Hill, Westover Hills and Oregon Hill, along with the rest of City of Richmond. Search your own address in the app and it will show who is genuinely close rather than who is merely listed.
Our Richmond coverage right now
We are onboarding our first Richmond providers, so coverage is filling in neighbourhood by neighbourhood rather than being complete everywhere. We would rather say that than show you a long list of names who cannot actually take your booking. Every provider verifies their ID with our team before they appear, and the app only shows people who are free for your dates.
If nobody is near you yet, it is worth checking back — Richmond is our home market and the first one we are building out.
Booking takes about two minutes
Search your address, read the providers who actually cover your part of Richmond, message whoever looks right, and book when you are satisfied. Everything stays in one place — the conversation, the dates and the payment.
- 1
Search your address
See the providers who actually cover your part of Richmond, with their rates and reviews.
- 2
Send the details
Your dates, your pet, anything a sitter should know. Message them before you commit.
- 3
Book and pay in the app
Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Free for pet owners — there is no booking fee.
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Get updates while you're away
Photos and messages from your provider, in the same chat.
Dog laws in Richmond
The parts that catch people out, and where to check for yourself.
Start with the licence, because Virginia is one of the few states that mandates it: under Va. Code § 3.2-6524 every locality must license dogs, and Richmond requires all dogs (and cats) over four months to carry one — $10 a year through PetData or at the RACC shelter, current rabies certificate required, new residents within 30 days. Rabies vaccination itself is state law by four months (§ 3.2-6521). City Code § 4-243 bars running at large — physical restraint everywhere off your property, with off-leash legal only in the fenced dog parks. And Richmond's tethering rule is among the strictest anywhere: § 4-96 caps tethering at one cumulative hour in any 24, never while the owner is away from the property, never in inclement or extreme weather — on top of the state's baseline specs (tether at least 15 feet or four times body length, a tenth of body weight, none at all below freezing or in weather warnings).
Source: Richmond City Code ch. 4 (§§ 4-96, 4-243), Va. Code §§ 3.2-6521/6524 (law.lis.virginia.gov) and rva.gov animal licensing pages. Checked 2026-10-29. Rules and fees change — confirm with the city or county before relying on this. More on pet ID tag laws.
Dog parks in Richmond
All free, all fenced, and all leashed going in and out.
Barker Field Dog Park (Byrd Park) — 1300 Blanton Avenue
Richmond's first and oldest dog park, open since 1998 — fully fenced with separate small and large sections, shade trees, water and benches. Roughly 6:30am–9pm, free. Serves the Fan, Museum District and Byrd Park.
Church Hill Dog Park (Chimborazo Park) — 3600 E Grace Street
Two size-separated fenced areas on Chimborazo's lower terrace, with the hilltop view thrown in. About 6am–9pm, free.
Northside Dog Park (Pine Camp) — 500 Forest Lawn Drive
Fully fenced with separate big- and small-dog areas, double-gated entry, shaded benches and water stations — the Bellevue/Ginter Park side's park. About 7am–8pm, free.
Ruff House Dog Park (Rockwood Park) — 3401 Courthouse Road
Technically Chesterfield County's park just over the line — worth knowing for Southside owners, but it isn't run by the city.
Lost a pet in Richmond?
Save these numbers now, not on the day.
1600 Chamberlayne Avenue — the city's open-intake shelter, where a found dog in Richmond goes. Lost-and-found intake runs on 804-646-5574; after-hours animal emergencies go through 911.
A private no-kill organisation — adoptions and clinics, but it does not take city strays; those go to RACC on Chamberlayne Avenue.
Work through the first hour properly — our step-by-step plan covers what to do before you start making calls. A QR ID tag skips most of this: whoever finds your pet scans the code with their phone and reaches you directly, without a shelter or a scanner in between.
Your other options in Richmond
- ✓Rover and Wag — larger networks than ours, so if you need someone tonight they will usually have somebody. Their commission on new sitters is around 20%.
- ✓A boarding kennel — predictable and staffed overnight, but your dog is somewhere unfamiliar rather than at home.
- ✓A neighbour — free and trusted, until the week they are away too.
What you get booking through Kingston’s
- ✓Every provider's photo ID is checked by a person on our team before they can appear in search or take a booking — that is what the green Verified badge means
- ✓Message a provider before you commit, and keep talking through the booking with photos. The conversation stays attached to the booking, so what was agreed stays on the record
- ✓Star ratings and reviews can only be left by someone who actually completed a booking with that provider — nobody else can post one
- ✓If something goes wrong, report it in the app and your payment is held while we review it
- ✓Providers keep 87% of what they charge against Rover's roughly 80%, so the same work pays a local sitter more — better-paid sitters stay, and a sitter who already knows your dog beats a cheaper stranger
We are the newest of these options in Richmond and have fewer providers than the national platforms — we would rather you knew that going in. How to judge any sitter for yourself applies whichever one you choose.
Want to earn as a pet sitter in Richmond?
Set your own rates and your own days, keep 87% of what you charge, and get paid to your bank through Stripe.
What it pays in RichmondRichmond pet care FAQ
Does my dog need a licence in Richmond?+
Yes — and unlike the Carolinas, it's state law: Va. Code § 3.2-6524 makes dog licensing mandatory across Virginia. In Richmond that means every dog over four months, $10 a year, bought through PetData online, by mail, or in person at RACC on Chamberlayne Avenue, with a current rabies certificate. New residents have 30 days. The licence tag matters beyond the fine: it's one of the main ways RACC reunites strays with owners.
What are Richmond's tethering rules?+
The strictest of any city we cover: one cumulative hour of tethering in any 24-hour period, only while the owner is on the property, and never in inclement or extreme weather (City Code § 4-96). Virginia's state baseline adds equipment specs — at least 15 feet or four times the dog's body length, no more than a tenth of body weight, and no tethering at all below freezing or during weather warnings.
What does a dog walker cost in Richmond?+
Expect $13–$28 for a 30-minute walk — Rover's Richmond average was $20 in October 2026. Boarding in a sitter's home runs $32–$52 a night (around $42 typical), and overnight house sitting $35–$61.
Which Richmond dog parks separate small dogs from large ones?+
All three city parks do: Barker Field at Byrd Park (the 1998 original), Church Hill's park on Chimborazo's lower terrace, and Northside at Pine Camp with its double-gated entry. All free. Southside owners also use Ruff House at Rockwood Park, though that one is Chesterfield County's.
My dog got out in Richmond — who do I call first?+
Richmond Animal Care and Control: 804-646-5574 is the lost-and-found line, 804-646-5573 the general number, and the shelter at 1600 Chamberlayne Avenue is open seven days. After hours, animal emergencies go through 911. Post in the RVA lost-pet Facebook groups at the same time — and if your dog is licensed and tagged, that tag is usually the fastest route home.
Can my dog be off-leash in a Richmond park?+
Only inside the three fenced dog parks. City Code § 4-243 requires physical restraint — fence, leash or lead — everywhere off your own property, and § 4-245 bars dogs entirely from certain posted recreation areas. The James River Park trails are leashed too, popular as they are with swimmers and their dogs.
Do you have providers in my part of Richmond?+
We're building Richmond out from the dense walkable districts — the Fan, Museum District, Church Hill, Scott's Addition, Bellevue. Open the app and search your address to see who's actually available near you, and check back as the market fills in.
How is Kingston's different from Rover in Richmond?+
Providers keep 87% of what they charge, versus roughly 80% for new sitters on Rover — on a $20 Richmond walk, that difference compounds into whether good sitters stay. Booking is free for pet owners either way.
Book pet care in Richmond
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