Is A Doggie Day Care Business Right For You?

Some of the reasons you may be consideringcustomer arrives until the last one goes home.
starting your own doggie day care business are6am – 8pm days are not uncommon.
because you love dogs and want to be inHOW MUCH CAPITOL WILL YOU NEED TO GET
business for yourself. Or maybe you want toSTARTED
take more control over your own life and areHow much will it cost to create a doggie day care
simply sick and tired of the corporate world.facility and get it up and running? Well, a lot
While these are perfectly good reasons todepends on how many improvements you plan on
consider this business, it's important to take amaking to your space. Extensive build-outs will
realistic look at the rewards as well as thecost more while a medium amount of
challenges of starting a doggie day care businessmodifications will cost less.
and what you should look at to determine if youAccording to a cross section of active doggie day
have the "right stuff".care business owners interviewed on the Doggie
GROWTH AREADay Care Business DVD, some have opened their
First, let me say that focusing on the doggie daybusinesses for as little as $10 – $15,000
care business is a smart choice since the shiftingwhile some spent as much as $100,000. According
demographics in the United States show lots ofto information provided by the American Boarding
promise for this type of a service.Kennels Association (ABKA) a non-profit trade
The typical client is two adults who both workassociation, 50% of doggie day care owners
and have no children. These two-income "families"spent $50,000 or less in start-up capital, while
have, in effect, made the dog the child of the24% spent $25,000 or less.
family and are quite willing to pay for their pet'sWhat they all agree upon, however, is the
happiness and wellbeing. These types of ownersimportance of having at least 6 months of
know that a happy dog is a tired dog andworking capital to keep you afloat until the
understand the pitfalls of leaving their dogs homebusiness begins to catch hold.
alone all day while the're away at work.BIGGEST MISTAKES
With 38% of all households owning at least oneProbably the biggest mistakes that new doggie
dog, this positive trend of more dogs and lessday care business owners can make is starting
time bodes well for the industry.too big with too many dogs. Other pitfalls include
WHO IS SUCCESSFUL IN THIS BUSINESS?taking in inappropriate dogs (unneutered males,
People in the doggie daycare business come fromaggressive dogs, dogs that are too shy, etc) and
a wide variety of backgrounds. What they allnot training the staff properly to anticipate
share is a love of dogs, a desire to run their ownproblems before they occur.
business, are self-motivated and have goodMost successful doggie day care business start
people skills. While dogs will be your focus duringsmall, establishing procedures and systems that
the day, keeping the person on the other end ofthey know are successful, and then gradually
the leash happy is just as important. No dog hasexpand by adding more dogs per day.
ever been known to write a check!Joining an association like the American Boarding
It's also important to understand that owning andKennels Association (ABKA) will also help connect
operating a doggie day care business requires longyou with other doggie daycare owners and can
hours and lot's of hard work. Since most peopleassist you in acquiring group liability insurance as
drop off their pets on the way to work and pickwell as providing ongoing education and
them up on the way home, you, or someone onpromotional opportunities.
your staff, will need to be there when your first