# Boarding kennel startup help



## eastcoastwesty (Jul 5, 2009)

I want to begin a boarding kennel. There are none in my area that don't put the dog in a cage all day and feed it Purina..... I have several questions. What permits/licenses do I need? How should I advertise? Any advice at all would be very helpful.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Well I'd think you'll need a lot of land, kennels, outdoor runs, fencing, staff, insurance...

I'm sure others will add to this..


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

Licensing and other requirements will vary by state/city/county...so you need to do some research for your particular area.

Where I live in SC, there's nothing. NC has requirements for automactic fire alarms, water availablity requirements and some others....so, definitely check out your area.

Advertising - well, when I had my boarding kennel it was all word of mouth + a sign out front (the kennel is on my home's property) and I was pretty much booked solid all the time. Busier than I wanted to be, which is why I closed the business LOL In fact, I closed the kennel a year ago and still have people calling and pleading for me to make an exception and board their dog. I bought the property from somone else, so I inherited a good stable of regular boarders. The rest came from word of mouth through my volunteer work with greyhound and dog adoption groups.

My kennel is crate based - each dog has a crate that can be opened to an exterior/covered concrete run. Turning dogs out loose together (free range boarding) there is always a risk of fights and injuries. I really never did that unless they were VERY regular boarders and dogs I knew VERY well + have signed permission of the owners. And if I turned "unrelated" dogs out together, they were always in size appropriate groups.

It's much more time intensive to do it the way I did it, but I think it was the safest. It's a tough balance to find the right price that will still make it worthwhile to run the business.

A website is a must, IMO.

Definitely look into insurance - it's REALLY hard to find insurance for a boarding kennel.


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## eastcoastwesty (Jul 5, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. I would put a sign out front for advertising, but it would not do me much good. I am on a dead end street. I have plenty of land and I am prepared to build an outdoor kennel run.


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## Don152 (Jan 31, 2008)

eastcoastwesty said:


> Thanks for the replies. I would put a sign out front for advertising, but it would not do me much good. I am on a dead end street. I have plenty of land and I am prepared to build an outdoor kennel run.


Well thats a start, but not much of one. There seems to be a high demand for the upper scale kennels, but its no cake walk.

For the rules in NC Start here: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/index.htm

You will see that a license is needed and there are requirments in housing, procedures, etc.

Also for one example of a kennel that I like alot, see: http://k9cabins.com/cms
(If I had to guess I would say they invested $100,000 to get started not including the land)
Starting ANY business is no small feat so i suggest you talk to people who run similar operations and ask them about their life and work.

Lastly if you actually get it up and running send me a PM.. I might be a customer.


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## eastcoastwesty (Jul 5, 2009)

Sorry that was a quick post, I was needed away from my computer. I do want to start an "upper scale" kennel. The dogs would be in my house, but not running loose, and have sheltered outdoor access. I will offer grooming options, and I have also been trained in dog massage, so I could offer massage. I was thinking rates of $18 -$24 per night, + grooming and massage options, as are the general prices for kennels like this. I am prepared for the startup cost. The dogs would not be allowed to just roam around outside together and fight. There would be someone there at all times to make sure nothing like a fight would happen, then they would be crated at night.

What I meant by the boarding kennels that "put the dogs in cages" is the ones that keep them in too-small crates all day and do not excersise them, play with them, ect. I have no problem with putting them in crates.
What kind of insurance would you need for a boarding kennel? Just a regular business insurance, or should I get the VERY expensive insurance I saw just for boarding kennels, trainers, groomers, vets, ect? I am on google 24/7 trying to figure it all out. Thank you for your replies!


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

You need to do a lot more research and develop a business plan. Most businesses fail due to a lack of business savvy and planning. Taking what you love and turning it into a living changes your relationship with that thing you love. 

Check out the Small Business Association website for ideas on how to write a business plan (including an Exit plan). By writing a plan you will be better able to see the loss and profit possibilities before you jump in. As noted, you will need a license and probably more faciliites than you currently have. You will likely need several fenced out door areas so that more than one dog can be out at a time and you have a place to let one dog at a time out. 

Most kennels up here have the owner provide the food for the dog being boarded. Rates vary from $15 a day to $35 a day. The high end place, BTW, has been put up for sale and is no longer in business. Price does count. It is a good facility. 

The other thing you need to consider is appeal. EVERY kennel operation I have visited that kept dogs in the house with the owner as you are suggesting was really an unsanitary mess (I am choosing my words carefully here). I never boarded my dog in those places. This is not to say it cannot be done.. but I have never seen it. Being anal about cleanliness and smell is really important to gathering and keeping customers. 

The best places I have seen/used had a separate building with attached kennels with heat/AC and a heated, AC area for grooming and a separate office area. One or two also sold dog supplies including food, toys, crates and other equipment. These places had several large fenced out door areas to exercise the dogs. One in particular that I recall also had a shed row of covered outdoor kennels with dog houses that they used at night when the weather got beastly hot. 

I think Farm Family would write a policy for kennels. You need to know WHAT thge insurance covers and you need adequate liability coverage. You might want an addition "liability umbrella." You will need to consider insurance for employees. Any FT regular employee should be an asset who makes you money.. you need to be sure to have Workers Comp insurance and, if possible, health insurance (for yourself and your employees).

You need to do more research than reading stuff on Google. Google is a start.. 

Wisdom would dictate looking at several operations to see the pro's and con's of each so you can incorporate the best ideas into your operation.

And remember, this is a BUSINESS. The object is to make money. You do that by being efficient and good at what you do with good curb appeal and word of mouth references. If it also is something you love, then that is great.. but loving something does not pay the bills. Good business practice does.


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## sparkle (Mar 3, 2009)

eastcoastwesty said:


> I There are none in my area that don't put the dog in a cage all day and feed it Purina..... Any advice at all would be very helpful.


A reputable boarding kennel from what I am told provides information as to the benefits of keeping the dog on the same food as much as possible in most cases which includes the client bringing enough food for the dogs stay.

A suggestion if you would follow this concept is to inform clients that you will not return any leftover food and that the food should be brought in a container that will not be returned for both health and resource issues.

On the issue of how long a dog stays in a particular housing area I would have written information on what your kennel provides for in this regard that might attract someone to board with your facility/service. Possibly setting up monitoring cameras and offering a video of your dogs stay or providing web cam service could be of interest in this regard.

Probably one of the most important suggestions I could offer is to be aware of the things that can be passed on from dog to dog and that there will be incidents. Have a plan set up to reduce the possibilities/probablilities by requiring all approriate health checks and throughly inspect each dog/ask lots of probing questions from the client and have a check off list on the boarding contract . Sometimes you will not be able to completely control certain incidences that can be costly and have a negative impact on your operation. Often the public is not educated or aware of the problems that can/will occur in putting dogs from different walks of life into one area and kennels reasonably do not disclose past issues that have occured.


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

For insurance, you need general business insurance and it has to be underwritten for a boarding kennel - there is the potential for the usual "slip and falls" like any business can experience but also the injury or death of a dog in your care or a customer being bitten when they come to pick up their dog...things like that. Some insurance company won't do it. It gets more complicated if you own your own home and are actually doing it IN your home. You'll need to talk to your homeowner's insurance about that....

Your best bet, IMO, is to build a kennel building. I would do large "crates" - probably 6X8 (twice as big as what I have now) with access to outdoor runs that are covered. I'd also do two or three moderately sized play areas with *at least* 6 foot fencing and have the same set up inside as well. You also need to determine your capacity. I have 20 kennels/runs in my kennel.

Even with only 20 runs, it is so much labor, it's unbelievable...but I would consider it again if I could build the set up *exactly* as I want it to minimize labor. Our place is, like, half there LOL 

Oh...also realize that you'll pretty much be working every weekend and every holiday.


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## Don152 (Jan 31, 2008)

I think you are on the right track to do those things that you and other customers think need to be done and not to do the things people don’t like. 

I think the essence of your plan should be individualized care and play / exercise time with the dogs. To me; that’s the big thing, keeping my dog active to prevent frustration. I don’t care about the wash, groom, etc.

BTW there is no human in the world that can stop unleashed dogs from starting a fight in an open area if they choose to (except perhaps Cesar, haha). So… as much as I would love my dog to play with others, play time will have to be one dog at a time (with a few very rare and strict exceptions). In fact in NC it’s the rule unless you have signed waivers. Even then the risk might be too much. 

Let’s say you promise an hour of play a day. That limits you to about seven dogs if you have only one play area and/or handler. At $25 a day that’s a maximum of about $175 for a day when you are fully booked. Not much income especially after expenses. That’s why so many places keep more dogs but only let them out for bathroom breaks.

As for food that’s easy.. Owners must bring their own. You should still stock a small quantity of high quality food in case you run out of theirs. I really don’t see the big deal with returning unused portions and containers as long as they are kept separate and you don’t have other dogs eating from each others, etc. But then again a big ziplock is cheap insurance to prevent problems.

I have left my dog with a “kennel” which was only run as a sideline by a co-worker. He had a typical fenced back yard for play and had the guest dogs there, in the house, or in crates in the garage. They spent the nights in the crates. While this worked it was not ideal and there was a little spat now and again amongst the dogs when they were out together. Did he have insurance and a license? Maybe.

So I moved up to a place that has individual rooms for the dogs with connecting outside areas (each 10x10), slide down doors to close off the outside area in bad weather and at night. (I once lived in a smaller room when I was in college!) They bring the dogs out one at time for exercise; the amount of time depends on how many are there. Every time she has gone here she has done just great, with none of the residual effects you see at overcrowded kennels where they spend all day locked up. However at $34 a day I have to limit the amount she stays there.

If I were you I would start just boarding a few (no more than three) dogs on a part time basis for friends, people at the dog park, etc. Get their feedback and see how it goes for you. This would take very little investment and give you an idea of what it’s like. No outbuilding needed to get started but I would think you would build one if the business gets serious.

I would get a license. They are inexpensive and the inspection may help you have a better kennel. Of course some of the things they may require will mean you have to spend money. Look at the inspection reports on the web site I mentioned to see what kind of things they are requiring. Insurance and possibly incorporating (as a LLC?) are to protect you from losing everything you own if the worst happens. Sounds worthwhile to me!

I see you are only one county over from me. You might want to come visit K9Cabins to see what I consider a heck of a set up. You dont need to go as far as they do but it will give you some ideas, and the owner is very nice. The place I go was based in part on K9Cabins and I went there because K9Cabins had no vacancy at the time.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

My first and most impprtant question to you is: Have you worked in a kennel before?

If not, then get a job right away in one. You have no idea how much work it is, especially for the Owner. You are pretty much working 24/7. Even with employees working for you, Those dogs are ultimatly your responsibility as the owner of the business, and you will be involved with everything, no matter how much you physicaly work. So if you have never worked in a kennel, then I strongly suggest you do that first. You'd be surprised how many people are not cut out for it. Just because you love dogs does not mean you should work with them. 

as far as your idea to run it in your home, I think thats not a very good one (respectfully so). Mainly because I work in these places, and know how messy it can get. Yeah a couple dogs, not much clean up, but get over 10, and its a lot of mess. I can't think of a possible way to correctly sanitize your house. Imagine if a dog came with just one flea. You would have to shut down completely in order to wash everything and bomb the house. If you have a seperate place for dogs to go, preferably a couple different places, then cleanup becomes much easier. If you are running it on your own property, having a seperate kennel and place to sleep will be a godsend for you. And if you want this to grow into anything other than taking care of friends/family/neighbor dogs, then you need to have something more professional than just the inside of your home. Just because its not in your home doesnt mean you you can't make the kennel homey though. One place I worked, we had concrete floors for easy clean up, but had rugs and lots of blankets/beds for dogs, pictures of all our regular clients all over the place, hand drawen pictures of dogs, our owners show ribbons, clients professional pictures of pets, all sorts of things to make it confortable and cozy for the dogs. You are right, environment does make a difference with the dogs and how they get along in a new place. But in your own home, trust me, you will regret that decision. 

As far as play groups, I have worked in a few different places that all had different ways of doing things. At one place, There were 2 main yards, big and small (it got more complicated than that, but that was the main breakdown) we would have not more than 10-12 dogs in one yard, and had an inside area as well for those dogs that were "people dogs". our max was at about 35, and that was when we had more small dogs than big dogs. There was always at least one person with each group. So if we had over 20 dogs, 3-5 people worked and were basically assigned a yard, and we rotated yards with each other all day. The worst injury we ever had was when 2 dogs jumped into each other going for the same ball, and one chipped a tooth. our boss and managers did extensive research on fights and we trained all of our employees what the signs of potential fights were, and how to break up that energy before a fight ever happened. Because of that training, we never had one serious fight with the dogs. Another place I worked does things differently, b/c they didnt have the staff to do the same thing. They had many seperate yards, and big huge runs. Small groups of dogs can play together without getting a pack metality and get along. Its harder to do, b/c some dogs are worse with others one on one, but when a dog finds a best friend, its awesome to see them play together the whole time for boarding. we would switch the groups and locations of dogs around so they were always seeing new things. the property was huge, in a orange grove, so the dogs were very stimulated without having to play their guts out. 

I live in southern CA so the rates are I guess a lot more here, 35-50 is average. You Definetly want insurance, but do know that a lot of insurance companies will not insure you to board pitbulls, rotties, dobies, etc. The first place i talked about had that kind of policy b/c we had dogs in yards playing together. The next place I mentioned didn't have that kind of policy b/c they had individual runs and yards should a dog not be socialized and need to be alone. You also should consider that. Some dogs are not dog friendly. If you have the kind of setup you are talking about, you could only accept dog friendly dogs, and would have to do much more assessment of the dog (which requires a good deal of knowledge about dog body language and such). If you have areas where dogs can be by themselves, you won't alienate a whole group of dogs that could be customers. I liked being able to board non dog friendly dogs, b/c those dogs are usually fine with people, and great to play with. its not much harder to board them, just more time consuming. 

As far as advertising, you shouldnt need much if you are doing a good jobn at running your business. Since you want to start slow anyways, you shouldnt need much more advertising, than maybe fliers at your local pet store, or something like that. First place I mentionjed was always booked for holidays, and very rarely had under 15 dogs in the place, and the owner never did any advertising, not once she'd started the business. She started with a few clients, just people she had met and talked to, and those people just kept referring. She still gets a lot of those dogs in (shes only been in business 5 years), and she is always very thankful to them, b/c they pretty much made her business. The other place I mentioned does very minimul advertising as well. I think the only advertising they did when I waas there was an ad for the new groomer when she started. They also started very small, added little by little, original customers referred other people, and now they are almost always over 20 dogs a day. So really, the best way I can tell you to advertise is to have a good business and treat people well. I would also just put up a website, not so much for advertising, but just for info. Its a good place to put up pictures and stuff, dog owners love that sort of thing and it proves that you are interested in the dogs. 

Sorry that was so long, your dream is the same as mine, so I have also thought of this many times.


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## Don152 (Jan 31, 2008)

Purplex15 said:


> ...
> Sorry that was so long, your dream is the same as mine, so I have also thought of this many times.




Dont be sorry! That was GREAT.. I hope she takes it to heart.


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## thepawspaandresort (Apr 8, 2018)

Your permits and licensing all depends on where you live. They vary from state to state. 

A great way to advertise is to put up flyers at vet offices or even grooming shops. I would recommend on giving discounts for the first X amount of people that visit. Do a grand opening where people can come walk the facility, meet the staff, and learn more about your business. Do something that sets you apart, such as feeding a certain type of food or giving an extra walk for free. 

You would definitely want to have a staff there at all times (especially overnight). Clients love this and will continue coming back for this reason! 

Another thing, be sure to get a management software to help keep track of everything. If you try to do it by paper you will literally lose your mind and you can under or overbook yourself easily. When you are dealing with medications and things of that sort, you want something that will help you easily track it. I use Pawfinity (https://www.pawfinity.com/kennel-software ). This even helps with advertising as well because they give you a free website that shows up on the search results.

The rates you would charge largely depends on your area. Some people come up with crazy price models, but honestly charging by night is the simplest, just like a hotel. Scan some kennels in your area and price around that. You don't want to price below or too much above those.

They make insurance for boarding facilities. I think ours is through Kennel Pak?? I could be wrong, I have my office manager handle all that information. 

If you have the funds for it, something that clients like that is unique would be to create themes for different runs. For instance, a beach themed run, a mountain getaway themed run, etc. This will not only set your business apart from others, but you would be able to charge slightly higher rates because it's upscale and unique.


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

This thread is over eight years old. I'm not sure I see the point in reviving it?


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## thepawspaandresort (Apr 8, 2018)

For anyone else that is looking for information. People want to start up boarding facilities all the time. Mine has been successful so I am sharing my experience I've had through the years. I know I go to forums and am able to grab information from posts from a long time ago. Just because it's old does not mean it's no longer relevant.


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