Instructions
Assess the community. Determine how many boarding kennels are already in operation in the area where you want to start your kennel. Check with the local animal control agencies to get an idea of how many dog owners live in your county. This will give you a good idea as to the community's needs. If the community already has too many kennels for the amount of dogs in the area, you may need to scope out other places.
Consider collaborating with other service providers by inviting a novice groomer or trainer to join with you in your business. Dogs can be groomed and trained while being boarded, making yours a convenient alternative to regular boarding operations. This will also help bring more business in and offer your clients something other kennels may not.
Boarding kennels that provide doggy day care (out-of-kennel play time) during the day and secure kennels at night is a much more attractive option to a dog lover than cement-and-wire kennels where the dog will languish in a cage all day. Most dogs play well together in a play group and the dogs will be happy and tired when they go to bed at night.
File all the necessary paperwork with your Secretary of State Division of Corporations to open your corporation, if you don't have one already. Select a name for your kennel and apply for your license, permit and your proof of registration with the state. You may have to do this on a county or city level as well, according to the codes of your locale. You will be expected to register with the county's animal control facility as it will be conducting inspections of your operation. Determine what your insurance needs will be as well and purchase the necessary coverage.
Scout out locations. If you are planning on opening the boarding kennel in your home or on your property, check with city hall to be sure your zoning is applicable to what you want to do. Otherwise, find a commercial property that is in a populated area where there is a lot of foot and vehicular traffic. Based on your financial ability and your market research, be sure your facility has enough square footage to accommodate your kennels, walking area, offices, quarantine area and play area. During this time, take into consideration how much time and effort you will have to spend readying the facility. A turnkey operation would be best, but in most cases you will be looking at major renovations.
Contract with service providers to install your kennels, prepare the surface area on which the dogs will play and install heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units. Hire someone to address plumbing, electric and sewage needs and hang your signage. Be sure that the service people with whom you contract are licensed, bonded and insured. It's best to get a recommendation from a trusted adviser. Check with the Better Business Bureau and always get three bids on every job for which you hire a service person. Keep in mind that the best deal may not always be the one that is least expensive.
Purchase equipment for your kennel. You will need office furniture, a computer for record keeping, soft beds, toys, balls, leashes, dog bowls, treats, puppy gates or exercise pens to divide sizes of dogs and crates set up in an isolated area in the event a dog becomes sick or has special needs. Bathing every dog just before release is a good idea as it washes out that "kennel" smell. You will need a bathtub, shower head, shampoo, coat conditioners, eye drops, ear cleaning supplies and other related items.
Place an ad in the paper or online advertising your need for help. A good ratio is 10 dogs to every worker. Look for people who genuinely love dogs. The job will be loud, messy and exhausting so only those who truly love dogs will succeed. Find out what the going rate is in your town for kennel workers by doing a search online or asking other kennel operators. Experience in a boarding kennel is helpful but not crucial. Having some experience with dogs is definitely a plus.
Set your prices, build a website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and order business cards and banners. Set a date for your grand opening and be sure to send out press releases to all local media. Leave fliers announcing your grand opening with every veterinary clinic, groomer, trainer, pet supply store and rescue organization within a 25-mile radius.
Start your business out slowly by taking on new challenges one at a time. Take advantage of every opportunity, such as fairs, festivals and green markets, to advertise your kennel. Donate kennel space to a local domestic violence agency so a victim can leave her dog with you when she goes into shelter; or organize your workers for a beach or road cleanup project where everyone is wearing a shirt with your business name. Donate space to a local rescue to place a puppy or small dog in a crate in your lobby so that it may be adopted. Visit other boarding kennels and introduce yourself. You may be competitors but if you make a good impression they just might recommend you if their facility is full. All of these things help raise goodwill for your business and gets people talking about you.
How to Start a Dog Boarding Kennel
According to the Pet Food Institute, approximately 75 million dogs live in American homes. It's a safe bet that a dog owner somewhere is about to go on vacation, become hospitalized, incarcerated or enter rehab. Finding a safe place where Rover can sleep over is important to these folks, because they want to go away with a happy heart, knowing the dog is safe and well cared for. This can spell big business for the prospective dog boarding proprietor. With a little preparation and knowledge, opening a dog boarding kennel is not as difficult an enterprise as it may appear.