What do you look for in a pet sitter/boarding kennel?

[connorlevismom]

I am thinking about quitting my corprate job to follow my dream of opening a pet boarding/daycare service in my home.

I was wondering if you guys could help me with trying to figure out if it is something that is really doable.

What do you look for in a sitting service?

What is most important to you?

What cost is fair for your pet to stay in someone's home, rather than a kennel? Around here, a kennel with daycare is starting around $40.00 per day/per dog.

Does it appeal to you knowing that your pet will be living as part of a family, rather than in a kennel?

My goal is to board dogs and possibly to daycare during the day. The dogs would live as part of my family. Stay in my home, lay on our furniture, sleep in our rooms....just be a part of the family. It is something that I always looked for when I wanted to board my dogs but never found.

We have a large fenced in backyard and a nice dog park right down the road. We have a fantastic dog bath station where I can bathe the dogs before they go home and I am thinking about taking grooming classes to be able to groom them as well.

Is this something that would apeal to you at all? Is there anything else that you would really love to see in this kind of service?

 

[akcire]

Personally, it would not appeal to me to have my pet's in someone else's home.

I use a pet sitter, who comes to my home. The greatest thing about her is that every day when she comes to my home she emails me a video of the pets with her i-phone. So I get to see the pets every day, it also confirms when she visits.

Now, if I could not have this pet sitter come to my home or anther pet sitter I trusted; I would rather go to a kennel type situation. Where multiple persons were responsible for my pet, and accountable to some sort of owner, corporation, manager, etc. I know it potentially exposes them to more germs, but I am more afraid of gross neglect than I am of them being exposed to a bug.

That is just my opinion.

 

[Hercules10]

Draft a written contract to protect both yourself and your clients.

Get bonded and/or insured.

Kiss holidays good-bye because that's when pet-sitters are busiest.

Good luck and chase that dream!

 

[Pakey]

I agree with PP. I have someone come to my home. I get a call daily so that I can "talk" to my dogs.

I would not want a family around my dogs. I'm not sure how they would react around strange people, combined with strange dogs, in a "free" environment and would not want to risk my dogs possibly biting or them getting hurt.

 

[Wishing on a star]

While the idea is nice.... I don't see it as realistic to have other people's pets in your home as a business. First, unless your home is already pet-free, and you are only going to take in one customer at a time... the pets are going to end up confined and kenneled... Not a good idea to let strange pets have free run, possibly fight with each other, etc..

Also, you should double check, very thoroughly, to see if this would be allowable under zoning ordinances, etc...

Our dog loves his kennel...
He would actually perk up his ears and be happy if we said "Wanna go to doggie kennel????"

This is what we look for in a kennel...
1. Large personal spaces for each pet (booth, bay, cell, whatever) Not just cubicles or cages....
2. Full time staff who care for the animals, let the dogs out onto the large, nice, run frequently, etc...
3. cleanliness...
4. basic trust that the people are reputable, knowledgible, caring, etc...

Hope this helps.

 

[Northstar]

Also check into zoning for your house. You might not be able to run a business like this in your area. You also need to find out about regulations for how many pets can be in a home at one time... you might need to get a license to operate a kennel.

For the type of care you describe, you're also going to need to screen the pets you take in very carefully, and have a list of long-term loyal clients. You won't be able to take just anyone who calls and wants a sitter... what if their animal doesn't get along with the others who are in your home at the time? What if their animal hasn't been trained to live in a home, and is destructive or aggressive?

And don't discount this one (which actually happened, more than once, to the lady who ran the place we used to board our dog): what if you get stuck with a dog that the owners dump on you and never come back for?

 

[samshane]

I use a pet sitting service.

I like that they are licensed and bonded. They also offer overnight stays. I prefer someone coming to my house (we tried the kennel route - didn't go so well for one of my dogs as she has lissues - lol). I also like the fact they have multiple sitters in their service because is something should happen - I want to be certain someone can still be there to take care of my pets. There is always a back-up (or 2) familiar with my pets to be there if needed.

I like communication daily (I actually ask fro every other day) via e-mail. Emergency calls by phone... and they will take my pets to the vet if that is needed.

I also like the daily walks in the middle of the day.

I would not use a service in someone else's home because I have a dog that does not get along with other dogs and he is bets with just his "family" of other pets. And I also have an older dog that is not fond of young children. So it is best they stay in their own home and someone comes to them.

I also agree with not being able to have Christmas or the summer off... we actually have a pet sitter staying here on Christmas night and New Years Eve.

Just my 2 cents and my experience on having a pet sitter.

 

[golfgal]

There is a very good chance you won't be able to find insurance for doing this if you live in the city-possibly if you live on a farm. I have to agree with others that while a good idea in theory you have to consider that dogs may or may not like each other and then what will you do?

 

[gillep]

We actually do something similar to this with our dog but with big differences. They charge $20 for 12h daycare and $40 for 24hour daycare/boarding although we prepay for large packages which decreases the cost to 17/34

We take our dog to a daycare/boarding that is staffed by licensed dog trainers who have years of experience. They currently own a large warehouse type space with an upstairs apartment. The dogs spend the daycare time in the warehouse area with at least 2 people there at all times watching the dogs playing with them and correcting any behavior issues etc. They have built a zero entry dog pool for the summer and are working on an obstacle course of sorts to keep the dogs entertained. They have a pretty structured routine with nap time / play time and reinforce basic obedience commands throughout the day.

These people also work very hard with rescue dogs and rehabilitation (these dogs are kept separate until they feel they can get along with the pack). Our beagle (Riley) is a rescue dog and he showed some fear/aggression towards other dogs so we took him here so that they could properly introduce him to the other dogs, observe him, and then work with him/us to overcome his issues. Thankfully he mostly just needed exposure and now plays with other dogs just fine. We take Riley there once a week to keep up his exposure and then he stays there when we go away (just dropped him off this morning)

For overnight daycare the dogs go to the upstairs apartment and get to sleep on the couches etc and someone always stays with them.

I tried another place for daycare before this and was horrified by the practices I witnessed. These people had no experience with dogs and should not have been in charge of 12 of them in a small room with no stimulus at all (I did not leave my dog with them after I saw their operation). Once I found our current place I knew it was a good fit, I was comfortable with their training philosophy and experience and they have made a huge difference in our lives by allowing our beagle to be confident in life making him a happier dog. They also have a facebook page that they update constantly so I can always go on there when Riley is at daycare and see pictures or videos of him and the other dogs.

I would not leave Riley with an at home daycare especially with someone who is not trained and doesn't have experience with dog behavior and large packs of dogs. My dog was rescued from a situation where he was caged 24/7 for the first 9 months of his life so I was unwilling to board him at a kennel where he would have a similar experience.


Good luck with your choice and if you want to pm me I can give you the website of the place that we send Riley so that you can get an Idea of what I am talking about.

 

[sunlver]

I do this exact thing out of my house, like a side job. It does not pay the mortgage or anything. I started working for a petsitting business 16 yrs ago..about 4 yrs ago the business was sold. I had my clients from years ago, and they kept with me. I have 3 dogs that I own and 2 foster dogs(usually just one)I volunteer with an all breeds doggie rescue group and keep dogs until they are adopted..A lot of my fosters who get adopted become my customers, since the families are secure with me and how I handle the dogs. I also have 3 kids who range from 6-16..
I ALWAYS require a meet and greet with my new potential customers. It is for me as well as them. I need to see how their dog interacts with my dogs and my kids. I tell people ahead of time my situation, about my dogs and kids, and if they think it would be too much then this isnt the right place for them. I am a stay at home mom..I am home the majority of the day, and my customers live with me like they are my own dog, they sleep where they want etc...
Some are crated, if that is what the owner requests... I always follow their directions..

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I use a pet-sitter exactly like what you are describing. I prefer this situation, because I want my dog to have constant opportunities for people interaction,not just for an hour when a sitter would come to the house. My dog loves having a few other dogs to play with. My sitter allows the dogs throughout her house for the most part, sometimes they are just in the kitchen area. She was a vet tech before having kids. She and her husband really love animals, and it shows. I don't like the idea of boarding my dog in a kennel, because I think that would be more frightening for her, to be confined to a pen like that.

 

[connorlevismom]

Thank you everyone for your advice and your input. I can see everyones point of view so it was great to have so many opinions.

Just to be clear, it is not my intention to have several dogs at my home at once. Probably like 1 or 2 at the most. So I am not trying to open a large boarding facility/daycare out of my home.

Holidays I was prepared to give up. We don't travel over the holidays ever so that is not a problem for me at all. We are usually home most all of the time. And if I left my job, I would be there all day long so would be able to play with the dogs all day.

I have started looking into the requirements by the city so am waiting to hear back from them.

It might work, it might not. But I think that I would kick myself if I did not at least look into it.

 

[MrsPete]

We have only boarded our dog a couple times.

The first time, we searched high and low and had a very hard time finding a place we were willing to leave our dog. Everyone seemed to have little cages. At home my dog has a big yard in which she lives, and it just seems mean to put her in a tiny cage to sit on concrete 23 hours a day.

We ended up going with Camp Bow-Wow because they have the dogs together in groups (my dog loves socializing with other dogs). They have four groups: Big young dogs, big old dogs, Little young dogs, little old dogs. They have a wading pool and a climbing thing, and a "counselor" stays with them while they play together. We can watch the dogs on a video camera, though that wasn't a must-have for us. They go into cages for lunchtime/naptime, then they go in again after dinner. I'm not opposed to PART of the day in a cage.

 

[Agri]

Unless my dogs knew your dogs and I knew you very well, there's no way I'd leave my dogs in that situation. I would be worried the whole time that one or another thing happened between my dogs and your dogs and that would not be a good vacation for me!

My mom's dog is very nervous around other dogs (honestly, he's just not right), and our current boarder is very experienced with his breed/personality type and will do everything they can for him - without bothering us about it. (When he's not with my mom, he will eat just enough to keep going and maintain his weight, but he won't eat a ton - something that worried the techs at the vet so much the vet did an "intervention" with me the last time he stayed there. The dog did the same thing when my mom was in the hospital for almost a month and he didn't die - its just the way he is.) The place we keep him now lets him out with small groups of other dogs, with just my dog, and he goes on long solo walks with the people who work there. He is much less apprehensive about staying there than he is about going to the vet.

They let the dogs out in the morning, then put them in kennels to eat. They turn off the lights and play soft music and then its daycare time! Regular dogs get put into play groups for a certain amount of time and they rotate around until its dinnertime - same routine for breakfast. Family dogs get to stay in the same room, but my dog gets crated because she'll pester my mom's dog to pieces (and I'm okay with that). There is always at least one person there just with the dogs being boarded 24/7, which really sold me on the place. The dogs all get individual time with whoever is there and both of them come home happy and tired from all the exercise they've gotten.

 

[LuLuO]

Having been a groomer I can tell you that working with dogs is a lot harder than most people realize. Before I leave my dog with anyone, I check out the place to see how clean it is. I want to know where the dogs are kept. How often they are let outside. What is the procedure if they become ill or injured. How often do they get individual attention. What is their procedure for giving meds? Is the place insured?

The kennel where I leave my dog is run by a person who is very well-known in the show arena around here. She is very knowledgebale about dogs and their health. All of her employees are trained in doggie CPR and first aid. Her place is the cleanest I have ever seen. It is probably cleaner than my house. It is a very controlled environment. The dogs are let out every 2 hours from 6am to 10pm. They are given beds and blankets, unless they eat that type of thing. There are sprinklers in case of fire. She lives on property. She comes highly recommended. She is insured. There is someone there 24/7. The dogs do not get put together for playtime or otherwise which is great because honestly no matter how laid back a dog is, you never know what might happen.

Honestly, unless you were my family member or friend I wouldn't leave my dog in the type of situation that you describe. Too many unknown and uncontrolled factors.