12/09/2023
LIFE OF A BOARDER-Things clients might be thinking 🤔
-“such a lovely job to do” …it sure is but just so you’re aware it’s 24/7 365 days of the year unless we book our own holiday so we can forget going out of an evening or weekend, our social life has ended and we can’t have alone time anymore or see family, boarding is a lifestyle and not for the faint hearted, it’s hard work so we definitely need our holidays and enjoy time off-one weekend a month is just blissful.
-“you cuddle dogs all day how hard can it be” …let’s be clear, that’s one part of our job but we are doing a lot of other things during our day, boarding is a business which means a lot of admin, calls, emails, accounts, new dog meet process and lots of paperwork, doing courses to keep up with dog behaviour, planning and doing dog play, dog walks, social media, taking videos for pup dates daily, lots of cleaning, thousand pooh pick up daily plus running our own house/garden/families
-“it can’t cost much to run a dog boarding”… that’s where you’re wrong we have licence fees, business insurance, accountant fees,marketing, dog courses, toys, treats, chews, beds, blankets, leads, collars, car maintenance, car breakdown, car business insurance, heating house, mortgage, pooh bags, constant washing machine electric use and washing powders, special cleaning fluids, lots of cleaning products, extra bowls, first aid kits, special kit for disabled pups, security cameras/measures-i think you get it 😂
-“your prices are too high” …we boarders have our own pricing structures based on what we feel our individual time is worth. We all understand price is a big factor but at the end of the day, consider the costs to run a boarding and personal time and care someone is putting in to look after your pup and welcome them in to their home and not a kennel especially at special times of the year like Christmas. Each pup is not paying minimum wage but we put maximum love in to each pup guest. Go with who you trust and have a good relationship with.
-“you have too many rules”…if we don’t have rules in our human world all hell let’s loose, this is also the case for dog boarding as well. Rules help everyone know where they stand and gives everyone respect.
-“your process to become a client is too long” …I am sure you wouldn’t want your pup to be put in a situation with an aggressive dog therefore, a strict process makes it safe for existing and new clients, due diligence is key to dog boarding when you have different personalities and behaviours coming in to play. I won’t just accept any dog i am very picky to make sure all pups are safe whilst staying and enjoying their holiday.
-“why do I need to give an emergency contact”…it’s a red flag if your boarder doesn’t have this in place, you need to know where your pup would go if there was (for example) a fire. If your boarder is advising you they can deal with it without telling you how then get nosy, find out where your precious pup will be. All clients need an emergency contact and a plan in place-don’t just accept things if your boarder is saying they will deal with it, that isn’t a good enough explanation.
-“can I bring my own dog food” …absolutely and any boarder who is feeding the guest pups their own dog food isn’t taking into account any allergies or stomach upsets, you cannot just feed a dog a different diet, it should be a gentle transition and guests should be having their own food, it’s a red flag if you can’t bring your own dog food unless it’s agreed they eat a similar diet to what the boarder feeds their dogs
NOTE -If your current dog boarder doesn’t have a process of a meet and greet, boarding agreements, showing you their licence, showing you around their home (even on video), asking for your vaccination card for each holiday then this is a red flag 🚩 looking in a dog boarders window is not showing you their home and set up-get nosy!
Your pup is precious and you should be allowed to see exactly where they are staying and sleeping, if the boarder doesn’t have rooms to separate pups, ask them how they deal with a situation where they do need to separate pups? I wouldn’t want my pup in a crate all day so check what they do. Ask a boarder their processes and be extra nosy!
I hope this small insight has been helpful. Please do your due diligence for your pup and don’t just accept it if you’re not happy-ask questions.
You wouldn’t leave your child with just anyone so don’t do it to your dog 🐶 - you know what I’m going to say….GET NOSY 🧐