Boarding Kennels

[hdowling]

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Hi,

I am thinking about starting my own business running a boarding kennel / cattery. However, before I go ahead with this, I am interested to know what people generally think about boarding kennels / catteries. Would you use one? Why / Why not?

Obviously, some people use them, otherwise they wouldn't be a popular choice for pet owners taking holidays. Is this because they are an easy to find option or because owners feel that this is the best choice for their pet?

If you have used one in the past, I would be interested to know whether you would use it again / likes / dislikes / prices you paid etc?

In fact, any opinions etc would be useful.

Thanks

 

[Karen]

In a nutshell. I think a lot of boarding kennel owners have a, Love of money V love of animals problem, if they go too far one way or the other their business fails.

Best of luck.

 

[hdowling]

OK thanks - but what's your opinion on boarding kennels?

 

[Lydia]

Hi, nearly 10 yrs ago I tried a boarding kennels that had a good reputation locally.

Ou 2 dogs, (a pure G.S. and a collie x G.S.) had never been kennelled previously, so before our weeks holiday, I booked them into the kennels that we were going to use. Just for a week-end, to see of they would then cope for a week.

They shared a kennel, which I had requested. I also mentioned that the dog would not defecate in a kennel's run, he had to back onto a bush to defecate.Made local shrubs look like they were growing s**t :- " .I also requested they were fed a certain type of food, as if they were fed tinned, the pure G.S. got the squirty berties, offering to bring enough food of their own with them.I was told not to bring their own food, as it was the same variety, the kennel actually used.

We dropped the dogs off on a Friday lunch time, and went to collect them Sun morning.We left the dogs with their own beds, bean bags, and lots of toys, balls, rings and squeeky toys.

When we arrived to collect the dogs, Their leads were hanging up on the kennels, "for sale" stand, for leads, collars, toys etc. It took me a while to convince the kennel person, that they were actually mine(despite the I.D. tags still attached to them). The dogs stunk when they were brought out to us, and the x breed (who is long furred) was soaked in urine.I think if he'd been left much longer he would have had serious urine burns on his skin.When I was still standing waiting, after receiving my dogs, and asked what I was waiting for, I replied their beds (which had cost £25 each) and toys.The kennel person went off again, eventually coming back with the 2 beds but no toys.The beds were actually dripping in urine, this was due to the fact they had been shut in the bedding area,with no access to the run, from 4 p.m. in the evening,until 8.30 a.m the following morning, so the only place they had to pee in was the bedding area.The kennel person insisted that my dogs had completely eaten the toys, including the solid rubber rings, dumbells, balls etc.

I personally beleive they were taken off my dogs,and either given to other dogs or put on their "for sale" stand.

When we left the reception area of the kennels,as soon as we got outside, my dog started squatting, after he'd dragged me to the nearest bush, and proceeded to defecated solidly for over 15 mins.What came out was indescribable :x . He had clearly not defecated since we'd left him there, on the Friday.As I had explained he would not defecate in a run, and been told they would receive 2 walks daily, I was far from impressed.Also, the s**t smelt like a s**t made from a dog eating tinned meat.This was confirmed by the rich meaty smell and the fact our bitch, who this type of food gave the runs too,had the runs very badly.

Driving home in our car, we had to have all the windows open, because of the stale urine, not only in our dog beds, but in the dogs fur, the long furred one was sodden in places.

We cancelled our holiday, have never used a kennel since.

I do realise, that this bad example does not represent all kennels, but the dogs I currently own, I own because I want to live with them, so they are not kennelled, they never will be kennelled, and we do not go on holiday together.

I realise a lot of people do use kennels, and are happy with the kennels they use.As to how you make a decent profit, and take decent care of the dogs in your care, I don't know.

I did not think we were being un-reasonable, in providing our own dog leads and collars, some toys, and that the dog was taken out of their kennel, for 10 mins a.m., and 10 mins p.m., to do a poo. It was the kennels who told us, that all dogs receive 2 daily walks, and that they did not recquire the diet, that our dogs were fed on.

Lyd

Forgot to mention, the charge was £4.50 per dog, per day.

If I knew of a decent kennels, I would reccomend that people used it, rather than took their beloved dog, abroad under the pet passport scheme.

Lyd

 

[dessie]

One of our friends owns/runs a boarding/quarantine kennel and although we have put our gundogs in there in the past I certainly would not leave my Whippets as it does not matter how good the kennel is, my dogs just would not thrive in that environment. Having said that, the other dogs have always gone in happily and come out in good condition. We know all the staff (who have been there years, which is a good sign) and when you go there, there is not a great cacophony of dogs barking/howling which I also think is a sign of a well run kennel, the inmates obviously being fairly settled.

I appreciate some of the remarks that Lydia has made, but it is difficult as staff do have to go home at some point so dogs will be shut in at a certain time and let out again in the morning as they cannot be allowed free access to an open run for their own safety. Some dogs will be more upset by the experience of kennelling than others and if you have a 'tricky' one, like for example Lyd's that will only go in one place, it is best not to subject that dog to kennelling because you cannot really blame the staff for not pandering to its every need. Even at my Vets, clients are warned NOT to bring the pet's own bedding in because it could get lost/soiled.

BUT, if a kennel says it's policy is to walk the dogs, then they must do that and they should be willing to show clients all their kennels and, where possible, accommodate the dogs with their own diets, if so requested by the owners. It is not difficult to have a white board or similar attached to the wall/gate of each run in order to write specific instructions about the dogs.

I think the whole thing about kennels is that the dogs should be well looked after, i.e. groomed, exercised and kept in a clean, dry comfortable area (i.e. have some time spent on them each day) and not have so many kennels that you start to lose the time for each dog to be treated as an individual. It cannot be home from home, but the experience should not be one of going into prison either. Listen to what the owner says about each dog, try and comply with reasonable requests and

if any request would be impractical explain to the owner WHY, not just ignore them because that is just plain rude!! If the owner wants the dog fed on specific food and is willing to supply this, again be accommodating. The dog is probably going to get an upset tummy with purely the change of environment, do not make it worse by completly changing the diet just because it is convenient for the kennel staff. Remember, your business will be more successful the better the condition the dogs leave in (both mentally and physically) because not only will that client be more inclined to leave their dog with you again but will also recommend your kennels

 

[Kirawan]

I am thinking about starting my own business running a boarding kennel / cattery. However, before I go ahead with this, I am interested to know what people generally think about boarding kennels / catteries. Would you use one? Why / Why not?

It's all about trust, isn't it?

I would NEVER trust anyone I did not personally know, to have charge of my dogs.

Would those of you with children, leave them with someone you didn't know? - even for a day?

For a kennel to work - a reputation has to be built up I guess. If you keep a clean, tidy, friendly, nice kennel, and allow people to view the kennels before leaving the dogs - eventually, your kennels will be recommended (that is the best possible way of advertising).

There will always be an opening for kennels during holiday periods, and usually the "good" kennels are filled up first. However, even the ones with dodgy reputations will be full, as people usually insist on leaving their dogs.

We have a caravan, especially so that we do not have to consider a holiday without the dogs (to us, it wouldnt be a holiday without them anyway).

I agree with the person who said that whippets do not normally take to kennelling.

I have inspected kennels on behalf of other people who were considering kennelling their dogs, and I would not suggest leaving whippets in any of the kennels - most of which are usually cold - (for a whippet!)

A boarding kennel owner who was interested in the happiness/welfare of the dogs almost as much as the money, would surely be keen for the owners to supply home comforts for their dogs, viz bedding, coats, leads, toys, etc .

I would not put my dogs in a kennel, but if I were to advise a friend, for instance. I would suggest only going to a kennel where they were interested enough to ask about the dog's needs....... (not that I would probably trust them to carry out the instructions!).

 

[LasVegasNo1]

My Uncle has just set up a kennel-ish type business. It's basically a kennel but without the kennels :wacko: He looks after dogs in his home, whether it be just for the day or a short stay etc. This would probably suit a Whippet better than a kennel because it can stay in a house and curl up in a basket or whatever He also has a huge garden (and I mean huuuge garden - for British standands anyway ) that the dogs can roam in when not inside. I would be more tempted to leave my dog in this sort of environment because it is homely... I'm sure there are a lot of nice kennels but for a dog that is adjusted to home life it must be pretty hard on them to stay in a kennel?!

 

[Jones]

I have to go to Italy to work for a week soon and as part of the deal my wife gets to come as well, so we're using a pet sitter we were a bit wary at first but she's really nice.

She came recommended by our (NEW) vets, has references is insured and has had a criminal record check, whats been really nice is that she's been coming out for walks with us so Leon knows her and her dogs.

She charges £8.00 an hour or £6.00 for half an hour so its £24.00 a day for 3 times a day so £168.00 for the week :b but its the only way I would have been happy to accept the work.

I know its a hell of a lot of money but I think its worth it just for our peace of mind and the fact that the only change Leon will see is that we're not there.

Good luck with your buisness venture just don't fall into the same trap as kennels near us have fallen into ,their all obsessed with being the same price or cheaper than their rivals which is £6.50 a day when what they should have been doing is trying to be better than them.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Karen]

Really I stand by what I said earlier and later posts back this up.

If you are out to make money there is two ways of doing it. The kennel Lyd used is doing it one way and I have friends that did it the other, living on the site and letting the dogs out last thing like at home, in all weathers, making sure they were fed with special food if required ect ect.

I would never leave my Whippets in a kennel again, after a week one was at deaths door.

 

[Vicky]

If i had the money i'd have one of these american type doggy holiday places where the dogs get their own hotel type room with proper human bed etc

I personally wouldn't put any of my dogs in kennels, a friend of ours has kennels & i wouldn't put them in there, i don't think it's a good environment for a whippet, as like someone said all you hear from most kennels is howling dogs! I'd rather not go on holiday than have to put them in kennels. I really miss my dogs when i'm away anyway & thats if we leave them with family, no i just couldn't do it (knowing me i'd manage a couple of days & pay for a flight home!)

But if you do it decently & look after the dogs (if your not just doing it for the money!) theres no reason why you can't make something of it as a lot of people still use boarding kennels, like someone said don't aim to be the biggest / cheapest but be the best!!!

 

[hdowling]

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies. I would like to assure everyone that I am not thinking about going into it to make money, but purely to have an extremely good standard of kennels.

I also sympathise with those of you that have had bad experiences - I was appalled in reading some of your stories and would never do that to an animal.

It's pretty clear that some of you would put your dogs in kennels and some of you wouldn't. What are your opinions on why kennels are such a popular option for people?

Do people only use them when they go on holiday? Or do they use kennels for other things i.e. day creche? If so, why else would you use kennels?

Thanks

 

[Kirawan]

Do people only use them when they go on holiday? Or do they use kennels for other things i.e. day creche? If so, why else would you use kennels?

I have known several people put their dogs into kennels when they are in season. But mostly, it is because the owners want to go on holiday.

 

[Cerito]

I trust the owner of the kennels my dogs go to completely. We even drive for 6 hours to drop the dogs off before we go on holiday. I have three greyhounds and I think they feel that they are going on holiday too. They love the huge paddock that they go out in several times a day. The owner is a greyhound man, and would probably do better in an emergency than I would.

I love my dogs, but I need a holiday away from them now and then just to get a whole nights sleep. They get us up 2 or 3 times a night wanting to go out. The poor old 12 year old gets a bit set in his routines and thinks that 3am is playtime.

The kennel's prices are also half of those in Surrey.

Cerito

PS Some kennels hold the strays for the council for 7 days, or hold dogs for rehoming charities.

 

[Rae]

We've never used kennels either. The one time I was forced to go abroad :b family stayed in our house to look after the dogs, otherwise we have a caravan too so that we can take them with us.

Anyway, two of my friends are using kennels at the moment, one for 1 dog and 2 cats becuase she is moving house and is in temp accomodation for 3 weeks until her new place is ready, and the other because she is temp working further away from home and is using the kennel as a day creche for her 2 dogs so that they can be walked / fed in her absence.

So, in the first instance the kennel was chosen for the location, so that they could vist and walk the dog each day, but also because it could accomodate the cats, and the second was chosen for the location, facilities and longer opening hours, ie she can collect the dogs on her way home at 7pm which is way later than most will allow.

Hope this helps you a bit.

I agree with everything said already, definately go for quality and service, somewhere you would be happy to leave your own much loved dogs rather than trying to be the cheapest.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[Karen]

I think a good tip is to leave the kennelled dogs on their own more in the day but do more around the kennel in the evening letting them out last thing. This makes it a little bit more like home.

 

[shirlnmisty]

I am going to crufts this year for the 1st time ever and was considering putting my dogs in kennels as I have 4 dogs and its unfair to ask family to look after them, but I now have a friend taking the greyhound and whippet because 1 she loves the whippet and wants him 2 she has greyhounds and she is used to nervous ones like mine and I trust her too

The other 2 another friend and my family between them will go and let them out and feed them

My problem was Crufts is March so its still cold up here, I would prefered them all to be in the 1 kennel but im not sure what size they would need and if the kennels would do this also, I suppose they could go in pairs but id worry about the whippet he isnt as hardy as the greyhound and obviously the lurchers have heavier coats.

Points I would want is

I would prefer to take some of their bedding with them and their own food

some sort of heating, which BTW is law up here for a commercial kennels to be a certain heat, cant remember what it is now, only know this cause my friend is starting a kennel business (which whom i wouldnt leave my dogs with :unsure: )

No area to be restricted ( I would want to see all the kennel area, like someone said in another post, the dogs were left in a nice area then moved to a horrible bit when the owners left)

I think i would know when I got to the kennels if they were the ones or not (well, I'd hope)

Knowledgable staff

 

[tessandprince]

Hello ,

My wife and I run a boarding kennel and cattery in dorset . WE have been doing it now for 6 years having bought the existing business and subsequently expanded the kennels .

Several different points have been raised which i will have a go at responding to .

There is no point in trying to run a boarding kennel to the standards required today unless you are well financed , you need to have roughly 75% of the the total cost/price in your bank before you start .

Running a kennels is all about getting the balance right . It is a service industry that works 7 days a week , 365 days per year . It is seasonal and peoples expectations are high , quite rightly so. So how do you meet those expectations and have a some quality of life and an acceptable standard of living ?

The answer is very simple . You give people what they want which is to return to a happy healthy dog in the same mental and physical condition as they arrived . How is also simple !

You put the dogs needs first !

This then guides all your decisions regarding staffing levels , facilities , opening hours ,prices etc. We want customers who require this from us and are prepared to pay our prices . Pet care is only as good as the people who provide it .£ 4.50 per dog per day is too cheap . You get what you pay for we charge £ 12.00 + vat for a gsd and have picked up 5 new customers with 8 gsds between them in January 2004

These prices enable us to employ full time staff all year round , maintain and improve our facilities as required and for us have some time off most weeks and take holidays . So our customers get what they want and so do we .

This is not meant as an advert for our kennels but if you want to know more about our kennels then go to google and look up kennels dorset our name comes up alot.

The relationship with our customers depends on trust . If either party breaks that trust then the relationship is irrevocably broken . This craetes pressure on us to deliver on our promises each and every time . This requires candour with owners of certain breeds . WHIPPETS are the most difficult dog to look after in kennels . One missed meal and they look like a bag of bones followed by german pionters weimeraners . We are open about this , tell customers what we do to minimise weight loss (alot of small meals , put them in the quietst part of the kennels).

I see no conflict between money and pet care . WE have found people come to us normally from recommendations . This gives you volume which combined with price leads to profit . Both sides are happy . The trick to achieving it is to be well financed ,committed and focussed .

A last point on doggy hotels . Lovely idea but can anyone tell me how you sterilise soft furnishings carpets etc . Works ok in hat dry countries but in our wet Climate ! I dont think so.

Got to go customers due in soon . Apologies for spelling errors

 

[JAX]

Something has just struck me about what people charge in boarding kennels , now I know they are fed(,nearly always complete food) have (hopefully ) nice warm ,dry kennels , are excercised (maybe)or put into runs for anything from £6.00 -£12.00 per day,

(( I have no problem with complete biscuits , I use them myself))

Well racing Greyhounds have the best food(generally raw mince ,and the best there is) good warm kennels ,plenty of exercise including long walks and gallops, and a daily massage for what ,less than £5.00 per day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so the trainers get part (maybe ) of the prize money and they might have the odd gamble ,but theres an awful big difference isn`t there,

Can some one explan why `pet people have to pay such exhorbitant prices to put there dogs in kennels !!! You are both in business to make money,

Greyhound Racing is also 365/12 ,and their staff think nothing of getting back to kennels in the early hours on a regular basis. Mind you I`d much rather work in a Greyhound Kennels anyday.

 

[tessandprince]

Different strokes for different folks ! Would be my answer as regards price . Perhaps the "pet" owners should answer the question or does the prize money make up the difference ?

It is misleading to state "we are in it for the money" as it implies we are only it for the money. I have yet to meet anyone who works for free ..

There is however an important point as to the different attitudes of "pet owners" and "working dog owners" . What happens to greyhounds who can't race or aren't winning anymore ? Are they kept by their original owners as pets or simply discarded as they are of no more use ?

 

[Greyhound Lover]

I used to work at a boarding kennel & cattery. I thought it would be the dream job...how wrong I was! I'm not going to mention the places name. The owners wouldn't allow ANY breeds that might bark and they would beat the c**p out of any dog that made a slight whimper :angry: If someone requested that their dog have bedding from home, they would just put it in a storeroom (the same with toys & treats)

One old golden retriever barked once or twice, and my boss got this plastic pipe and started beating him with it until he was shaking with fear (this dog was 15 years old) and the man was laughing saying "He enjoys it really!" I only worked there for month.

Going back to greyhound kennels.... I have to admit I dislike Greyhound racing because I believe most people are in it for the money as opposed to the well being of the dogs. My Greyhound, Jessie, was kept at the same kennel for 2 years because they were trying to get her to race. Well once ,not long after I got her, I was taking her for a walk and I lifted my foot to see if there was any dog mess on my shoe and she ducked because she was expecting me to kick her in the head

:angry: I felt awful and it made me sick to think that someone had once hurt my dog like that. I went to visit the kennel where she came from and the dogs are kept in very small kennels with 2 dogs in each one. I brought jessie with me and she remembered the place and was very pleased when we went home (I think she thought I was going to leave her there)

Also I have been to the race tracks and I have heard trainers talking to each other about how they have fixed the race like how they give the dogs lots of food before the race to make them go slow and such

Then when the dogs can no longer race they are dumped, killed or if they're lucky rehomed. Its all about the money