Thinking of setting up dog kennels.

Alfasudcrazy

On my recent search for dog kennels in the locality I was appalled by what I saw and I could never relax on holiday if I knew my dogs were in such confined uncomfortable places.

So I have been thinking of setting up my own dog kennels for obviously dogs but I suppose pets in general could be catered for too. People could relax on their holiday or while they were away in the knowledge that their dog was being well looked after.

Does anyone have any idea of what is the going rate for keeping a dog and what if any regulations / licenses I would need.

jb91

During the summer I paid €18 a day to put my dog in a kennel on Bray Head, Wicklow. They had an outdoor pen, individual kennels and a conservatory thing for the dogs.

mags16

I put my dog in a kennel in Wicklow. They charged €15 per day for small dogs and €20 a day for large dogs. These kennels were quite a big operation. They had heated kennels, rolling hills to walk the dogs on and fenced in grassy areas to let the dogs wander in. As idyllic as this sounds, she still caught some nasty infections so I won't be using kennels again. Hardier dogs would fare better.

Sigma Force

Animals can pick up infections and things in kennels not always from lack of hygiene sometimes the stress of being in a new place can make animals more prone to illness.

If housing other animals along with housing dogs you would have to have them a long distance away from them e.g. cats, rabbits etc can get very stressed from the sound of dogs barking if they aren't used to it.
The rate is usually 14 to 18 to 20 euro a day per dog, if housing two dogs from the same household in the same pen normally you would get a discount.

Some kennels have heating indoor areas with access to an outdoor run and then a walk a day this is the kind of kennel that people prefer. My two go to kennels that have large individual dog kennels (more like mini sheds) in a pen alongside the other pens, it's outdoors but in a sheltered area but my two are weathered and as the collie does not like enclosed spaces it's ideal for her. They get a walk a day and there is a grassy area that the kennels surround as well. There are also a few other kennels a bit away it's always good to have seperate ones just in case you get a nervous or stressed out dog that doesn't like being so close to other ones.

The pens are all side by side but ideally pens are better off a little bit apart from each other. From kennels I have seen they usually have timber posts with chainlink wire for the pens. These seem to work fine. If investing it sturdier ones something like a cill dara will set you back a lot. Even chainlink pens are expensive, not including the area has to be concreted (tarmac for instance could get too hot in summer) access to an outside tap for drinking water and cleaning.

It's a 24/7 365 days a year job though or at least no holidays could be had for you at holiday time because that's (obviously) when you would get the most buisness. Access to a good vet and someone on the premises all the time and someone who will be on standby should you become ill or have to take an animal to the vet is handy too.

Not sure about the licence side of it, perhaps you might need a general dog licence, also some sort of insurance perhaps or at least a contract drawn up that you have each client sign.

Not sure about regulations the ISPCA legal handbook is a bit vague but it might be a good idea to contact you local rescue or SPCA and see what the basics are and work from there.

I'm waffling sorry..too many choccy hob nobs

Alfasudcrazy

Thanks for the tips. Just wondered how many dogs is reasonable to house at any given time? This will generally be a one man operation.

Some of those kennels seem to be excellent - pity the ones around here are not as good.

Any tips on making nervous or homesick dogs feel more relaxed and happy?

macshadow

Alfa i had the same idea a few years ago born out of frustration at the lack of
decent boarding kennels.
I know your near a beach so you could target people who holiday there so they can see their dog in the day and still go to pub at night,just an idea.
Also a webcam would be cool so the owner can see their dog from abroad or see it's been walked at the arranged times.
I would pay well for a service like that. The kennels itself wouldn't need to be
anything fancy, maybe big enough for ten dogs although you'd need to be fairly fit to walk that many by yourself.
I reckon it's mostly repeat business,if i found someplace that good i'd stick with them.

watna

I have a cat and we pay a fortune to make sure he is well looked after on the rare times the whole family are away. They're is definitely a need for it. We put my cat in a place in Dundrum in Dublin. Each cat has a good sized cage with a large walking area. They also have a ramp that walks up to a little house at the back of the cage so they can hide if they want. The house had two levels and the food and water were inside. There was about 10 cages in the outhouse and the lady heated it in the winter. We used to put him in the vets but then we realised he was in a tiny cat cage thing all day, which is horrible as he has the run of the house at home. I know if you're opening up a kennels/cattery you have to be very strict on all the animals having vaccinations at LEAST two weeks before they come to stay. We had to bring a card from the vet. Good luck with it anyway, I've thought about setting up a cattery when I retire, I think it would be quite satisfying and would be a great service for people to have.

peasant

I don't think it's as easy as it sounds, especially as a one man operation.

One major factor to consider (besides all the technical details) is how the dogs get along.

If you have ten dogs staying and they all get on like a house on fire, grand ...you can let them out together and have fun.

But what if they don't? How would you on your own prevent bullying or even a full blown fight between ten strange dogs?

How do you recognise beforehand which dogs will be alrigth with each other and which ones won't?

You have to consider the worst case scenario where you might have ten out of ten that have to be kept separate from the others, not housed next to each other, fed at separate times from each other and out of sight of each other, etc, etc...
The day wouldn't be long enough to provide the care and walks that you promised to all of them.

What if one of your "guests" simply doesn't like you and makes its feelings known in no uncertain terms?

I don't think that this type of thing could be run as a one man show.

Annika30

I can imagine the insurance costs would be huge.
But there is certainly a need for boarding kennels that are run properly.

houndsoflove

Alfasudcrazy did you try the Abbeyfeale boarding kennels in kerry/limerick area?

Alfasudcrazy

houndsoflove wrote:

Alfasudcrazy did you try the Abbeyfeale boarding kennels in kerry/limerick area?

Nope - I think I recall that they were near the main road though? Got any names / tel numbers?;)

Spit62500

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Any tips on making nervous or homesick dogs feel more relaxed and happy?

Lack of eye contact with other dogs (less potential for confrontation) when in their run/bed is a start. Familiar smells (bringing along their bedding, toys etc) helps too. If you've one dog its more difficult for them - if they've their playmate it helps enormously. Some kennels play panpipe/classical music. This is supposed to reduce barking (keeps the neighbours calm) and is supposed to relax the dog too. From my experience, first time in kennels is worst for the dog - after that they seem get used to the idea of kennels or maybe they just get older and a little less reactive. I've a labrador and border collie - they're both quick learners so maybe its specific to them.