How To Make Money Eating Dog Food… Seriously
Are you up for some weird side hustles to earn a little extra money? How about trying to make money eating dog food?
If your answer is yes, then you should be looking into becoming a dog food tester. In the line of weird jobs, dog food tester is definitely on the top along with dice inspectors and breath odor evaluators.
If you’re not grossed out with these ideas then continue reading on to learn more about how to make money in the lucrative world of eating dog food.
Dog Food Tester – Understanding this Job Opportunity
Cancer is the leading cause of animal death in the United States. It does not come as a surprise, knowing the number of dog foods available in the market is of low quality.
As a dog food tester, it is your responsibility to make sure that dog food is not only healthy, but it tastes good too. Your primary role is to evaluate the nutritional value of dog food. Nutrition is the key to healthy pets. And yes, the job comes with the perk of taste-testing too.
Our dogs would surely eat almost everything that we throw at them, but it doesn’t mean that they should. No dog should suffer tasteless and unhealthy food.
One of the biggest misconceptions of this job is that dog testers spend most of their day tasting different kinds of dog food. As a matter of fact, they spend most of their days writing reports and thinking of several methods of producing healthy dog foods. Taste-testing is just a small task for this job. And you don’t necessarily have to swallow the dog food.
After you have examined the nutritional value, take a small bite, and determine its taste, odor, texture, and consistency.
How Much Money Can You Make as a Dog Food Tester?
Very few people work as a dog food tester.
It’s a highly-skilled job that requires animal knowledge and research. This role is usually filled up with someone that has a doctoral degree that is capable of evaluating the nutritional value of dog foods. In addition, the role also calls for creating reports and thinking of innovative ideas to enhance the quality of available dog food.
While the job is interesting, the salary is enticing too. Professional pet food tasters usually make $12-$15 per hour. You can earn between $34,000 – $100,00 annually. This figure surely makes the job sound delicious.
How to Get Started
Are you ready to make money by eating dog food?
Before you start popping dog foods in your mouth, you have to study this job first and see if you have what it takes.
Though there are no specific skills required for this job, you must possess some qualities to help you land this gig.
First, it is important that you have the care and knowledge of animals. You should always aim to improve the quality of their life by helping create more healthy food options for them. Also, think like them. Every time you taste-test, think if dogs would like the taste, smell, and texture of this food. If you’re not enjoying it, dogs would hardly find it enjoyable either.
Additionally, it is also important that you know how to provide honest feedback. You should also know how to pay attention to every detail too. Of course, it’s imperative that you’re fine with putting several dog foods in your mouth too.
Having a degree in nutrition is also a plus point. Alternatively, you can scout for veterinary schools that offer a certification program in pet nutrition.
Once you have all the skills required, you can now start looking for dog testing jobs and make money.
How to Make Money Eating Dog Food
How do you become a dog food tester?
If you’re confident that you have what it takes to do the job properly, you can now start your hunt. While a dog food testing job is not common, there are still plenty of opportunities out there, especially if you know how to look.
Below are some ways on how you can find dog food testing jobs.
Pet Food Companies
Pet food companies always aim to provide the best quality of food to our most beloved pets. It makes sense that they would need to hire pet food testers in order to accomplish this goal.
Scout some pet food companies near you and see if they have an open position for a dog food tester. Keep in mind that they don’t often advertise this job publicly. Check for the company’s point of contact for the reservation and development department and express your interest in the role.
Just like with any other job applications, create a compelling cover letter and resume that highlights your skills and qualifications.
Newspaper Ads
Despite the popularity of digital marketing, some companies are still patronizing the traditional way of advertising. Newspaper ads have been one of the most go-to places for job seekers since time immemorial.
Always keep an eye out on your local newspapers for dog food tester jobs. Some pet food companies utilize newspaper ads to seek dog food testers. Contact the information listed on the ads and submit your application.
Online Job Sites
Tons of online job platforms have emerged to make online job hunting easier and accessible to everyone.
Online job sites such as Craigslist, Upwork, and Fiverr occasionally post job openings for dog food testers. Competitions could be high on these platforms, so make sure that your profile stands out. Make your profile detailed and professional. When you submit your application, make sure that you create a cover letter that is pretty straightforward yet detailed. Include all your related experiences and training.
Networking
This is always the best way to find any role. It naturally shows hustle and desire when you’re willing to reach out to people and ask them who they know in the industry to help you land the job you want.
Networking with pet food executives, breeders, pet stores, etc is a great way to find people that may have a position available for you. Worse case, along the way you may find a different position that still involves pets or food. Look at social channels like LinkedIn or Facebook groups for pet owners, go to seminars or events focused on the pet food industry and find job boards where you can post that you are looking for a dog food tasting position.
Final Words
Not everyone has the guts to put dog food in their mouth, much more make it a living.
Being a dog food tester is not only a relevant role, but it’s also fulfilling. Nothing feels more rewarding than helping create better dog foods that are nutritional and tasty.
More importantly, you can absolutely make money eating dog food. Earning $40,000 a year makes this job sound deliciously tempting.