Boarding kennel business

[GSDNanny]

Ok, another slow day at work. Not good. Medical field is changing quickly and by this fall, a lot of us will be laid off due to the electronic medical record system imposed by the govt. After 24 years, I will be looking for other opportunities and dogs are where my heart is. It is a scarey move. But I have this philosophy these days after being employed 40 years, "Do what you love as an occupation and you never work a day in your life." So with that said...I've been thinking.

I am curious as to those on this forum who operate a boarding kennel and their input, if they may. At present, I take in boarders for training, in-house literally, only 2 at a time for basic ob, house manners, crate/vehicle, social. I also worked briefly last fall for an exclusive (expensive$$) boarding facility in my area so I could see how it is run. The owner died unexpectedly in January and they are talking about closing it.

Then also the only obedience lessons for the public are offered by a very dear friend (other than Petsmart) and he is moving in June to E TX (near you, Judith). He's into DDR GSDs and Dobes. I never wanted to give classes so as not to step on his toes. Now that opportunity will open as well.

I am aware that offering boarding ties you down but heck with the farm and my own canine crew, I am tied down anyway. I am seriously considering this on a small scale plus the classes.

Got any input or 'war stories' anyone wants to share?

[vneerland]

Ya want me to put that online? For everyone to see?

Let's just say that if you ever thought about opening a restaurant, you will hear restaurant owners tell you that you just ended your life of freedom. Sounds like fun? More like very hard work, unless you can give the reins to someone else who does it for you.
Boarding/training is the same. Find a kennel owner, who has been doing it for a good while, who has not seen and heard it all. Some customers are precious and will enable you to keep doing it. Others? Will make you wish you had never started down that road. *sigh*
And then the dogs, some just horrible delinquents, select others good as gold. You will be totally tied down, every time you are out anywhere (let's say for training) you have to worry about what you will find in the kennels when you get back (lots of work on the kennel floors for one)
Training is one of those things where you get the problems. The ones who flunked all the lower key classes, and they don't call in the pro unless the dog is well on it's way off the deep end.

[GSDNanny]

Thanks for your 'kind' input, Judith. It is definitely very hard work. Working at the pet resort last fall, I handled the large dog building by myself, yep 25-30 large dogs and it was work. But its function left much to be desired. Their setup could be vastly improved with much less work in cleanup. And you are right about some pet owners, or actually most that is. I have given this a lot of thought for many years but it is looking like I will be forced to making a decision in some direction by the end of this year, or I could just join the system and draw unemployment for 99 months til retirement.

[Dutchringgirl]

I ran a horse farm, same as dogs, you dont have a life. Always a problem. The work was very hard, although hard work for yourself is better than hard work for someone else. It was hard finding help I could trust, something was always left undone. I had wonderful horses and horrible horses, like anything you have to take the good with the bad. I was also just thinking of opening a day care type boarding facility but the time commitment wouldn't work for me at this point.

[alspyce]

Through the years, sad to say, I have decided I don't care much for working with other peoples animals. Just don't have the patience anymore to deal with the untrained humans and beasts. There was a time I enjoyed it, but it wears on you after awhile.

[Christie M]

I will agree with what everyone else said, but also add:

1 - Your own animals go on the back burner, and when you do have time for them, you don't feel like it and just want to curl up and watch a movie with them.

2 - No one will ever love your business and take care of it the way you will. With a kennel, your business is someone else's babies. It's one thing to say that you will stop traveling much, and quite another when an emergency happens that you have to go to, and have no idea what to do about everyone's kids.

3 - Holidays become nothing more than great money times.

4- You have a great excuse not to go anywhere on holidays

5 - If you are thinking of having your facility on the grounds that you live in, be prepared for people to take merciless advantage of that - stopping by when ever and asking for outrageous pick up and drop off times.

6 - People assume that since you are working your butt off in your own home, that you sit around all day eating bon-bons and watching soaps. Other people's opinions usually don't bother me, but when my sister in law refers to me as a "Princess" ....well, I get incensed. I don't even remember the last time I got my hair professionally cut. FAR from princess-like.

Truth be told, I am grateful and blessed to be able to have the life that I have. It is hard dirty work, but its my work and I love it. The biggest problem that I have run into is dealing with getting burned out being around nothing but dogs all of the time. They used to be my hobby. When they became my fulltime 24/7 job, I found I had no hobbies or time to myself. It is something that I have really struggled with this past year. I have now enrolled in a cooking and photography class, just trying to find someone else to talk to besides Matt and the dogs. I took up flyball, only to resent adding another "dog job" to my plate. So making your hobby your job isn't always what its cracked up to be. Its one thing to spend 40 hours a week working with people or dogs, another to devote your home and every spare second to any one thing.

[GSDNanny]

Christie, thank you for itemizing those points. So very true. My father told me nearly 40 years ago when I was entering college in a profession that was dear to my heart that I would regret doing what I normally found pleasure in as a hobby because it would then become a job instead. Bless his heart, he was right. Needless to say, I did not pursue that career just because of that statement.

My dogs are my pleasure, therapy if you will, and I would not want to jeopardize that in any way.

And to, as I get older, I have less and less tolerance for pet owner ignorance particularly those who take the easy way out when it comes to their pets. That is why I am picky about what boarders I take in now. I thoroughly check out the owners first. If they arent trainable, then its a no-go. Dogs are easy. Owners, well....not so.

I dont believe in reinventing the wheel and if you can learn from someone elses experiences, then why not. Thank you again for all of your input on this.

[vneerland]

@ Christie. I see you have been there!
Point by point, totally right on.

Through the years, sad to say, I have decided I don't care much for working with other peoples animals. Just don't have the patience anymore to deal with the untrained humans and beasts. There was a time I enjoyed it, but it wears on you after awhile.

I totally agree, it does wear. There are the select good ones that make it worth it, but there is a large contingent, that will never perform to the standard that you hope for. You are working around a dogs limitations, and the owners would never understand that is it not your failure, per se, but the request for a silk purse out of that sow's ear.

[Dutchringgirl]

I lived where my horse business was, I would never do that again. You never get out and never have peace. My quarter horse was my "horse away from horses". After dealing with everyone and everyone else's problem animals, he was my "get away from it all". Like you guys said, dealing with everyone else's problems year after year wears. Now even just training my neighbors dog is annoying because they dont listen. And like Judith said... Its always your fault.

[vneerland]

Quite therapeutic, to hear others say the same thing that you have experienced for a long time too.
At times, you think you are just being way too intolerant, but seeing everyone pen down the same things is vindicating.

[Choochi]

Ditto to every single one of Christie's words!

Think long and hard about doing this. I do find a lot of resentment too, a ton of guilt for not giving my own dogs the kind of life and attention I would like to as they're not the paying customers. Especially when you are relying on this for your income, you can tell yourself all you want you will only take on good clients and good dogs but when those bills need to get paid and that client with the dog you hate comes knocking for boarding for a month you won't survive in this business if you say no. People will take advantage of you at any chance they can (not every one, there are some who are angels but they are the exception), and when you tell them that no they can't just show up at 2am because that's when their plane lands and they can't sleep without their dog by their side, it only means you're heartless and not a dog person and you don't understand what it means to love a dog. Even if you think you're safe because you have rules and procedures, people always ask for exceptions just for them, just this once, except that it's never just one person and it's never just once, but if you say no, you're the unreasonable inflexible dog hater again.

People looking in from the outside (especially clients) think its all rainbows and butterflies and we get to play with some one else's puppies in sunny fields all day long. Sure those moments exist, but think of it more like hell full of constantly barking dogs, shedding hair every where, clean clothes? what's that! nightmare clients, dogs throwing up and getting sick because they're away from home for the first time, cleaning explosive diarrhoea off walls... if you're ok with all that to have those few playing with the puppy in the sun moments and you're insane enough... I dunno I can't imagine doing any thing else. Its a weird abusive husband kind of relationship with this business

[Choochi]

And I should add, finding reliable help, that's probably harder then finding nothing but perfectly behaved dogs for your clients.

[alspyce]

Shall we not forget the stupid owners who take fido home, give them a full bucket of water that he wolfs down out of excitement, and then throws it back up. even after you have warned them this sometimes happens, and that water should be offered sparingly until the joy of homecoming wears off a bit.
Of course it is now YOUR fault because the dog must have caught some horrible disease at your place, and of course you didn't give them enough water!!!!!!

[GSDNanny]

These are the war stories I was hoping to hear, the real nitty gritty of this business. Granted I only worked for a short time in that boarding business but I can attest to some of these things first hand. I do have someone who would partner with me, whom I trust, a retired vet-tech who is excellent with dog care. We are both still physically healthy/active even at our age.

Also, your input reminds me of why I totally got out of dog rescue work as well, the human aspect.

I worked from home for nearly 15 years and understand totally about people trying to take advantage of you too. My family and friends totally understood; the inlaws not so much so I became an outcast because I wouldnt let them drop off sick little Colton because mom didnt want to use her vacation days from work, or they asked if their kids could walk to my house after school so they wouldnt have to take the long bus ride home to an empty house. Nope, had to work.

I seriously do enjoy dog training so am still thinking about putting on a couple of evening classes. That way the owners would have to at least share in responsibility for how their dogs turn out if they are indeed horrible handlers. Or if little Fluffy is inbred to the point of total ignorance. Right now I have two people with little Yorkies that want me to 'train' them. Yeh right. No offense to anyone on here that has one, I just dont want to waste my time. So see there, I am being choosey. But in fulltime business, that's not an option.

I do have some alternatives at the point in time a decision has to be made. But this thread has been very interesting, to say the least. Thanks all.

[Choochi]

If you can secure various related streams of income it is easier. If you can also become a dealer for some sort of a product or food, offer training, maybe hire a groomer and offer that as an added service, merchandise... it all helps but it's also more work. And as you stated there is an advantage to a training business where those people are right there with you, but that could also be seen as a problem It really depends on your personality, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you enjoy, what you tolerate.. etc

[alspyce]

Right now I have two people with little Yorkies that want me to 'train' them. Yeh right. .

No offense taken, but I've owned some Yorkies who were expected to mind just the same as the big dogs.
Lots of dog in those little packages, and they don't have to act like idiots. Mine sure were not allowed to. Mostly people just spoil the heck out of them, not really understanding that they really are terriers who need a firm leader.

[alspyce]

From back when I really enjoyed grooming---in the 80's.

Jill as a pup.

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Taz

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[Dutchringgirl]

Silky ?? My friend had a Silky a long time ago, Im not a small dog person but I did love that dog. Her name was Penny so now I call them Penny Dogs.

[Drizlaru]

Could always try the board & train route. Up here in Maine, a week of board & train is in the neighborhood of $700. A good week with 4 dogs, you can make some decent $$, and have time for your own dogs.

[alspyce]

Silky ?? My friend had a Silky a long time ago, Im not a small dog person but I did love that dog. Her name was Penny so now I call them Penny Dogs.

Yorkshire Terriers. (Big dogs in a little package.)