It would be remiss of me not to include this business idea, as there are several different sizes of doggy daycare operations for you to ponder when considering to start a doggy daycare near me business.
Having certifications in animal care will definitely work in your favour when starting up your new doggy daycare business.
There are several different options available to you. You only need to check out what is available in your area.
For example, in Ontario, Canada, there is the Ontario College with What to expect from a career in Animal Care, and the Canadian Council of Animal Care with their Certification.
Taking training on animal care can help make you better able to read the body language of dogs which will help you to maintain a calmer, soothing environment for your client’s fur-babies.
Knowing how to do CPR on dogs, as well as having a basic understanding of first aid is also required.
And, do make sure to establish contacts with a few different veterinarians in your area in case you ever have an emergency.
You need to understand that your customers will be near you, so when contemplating this business idea, you will be considering starting up a local business.
And, as a local business owner, you will need to discover:
- ) What licenses, permits and regulations apply to this business, in your area.
- ) Decide on your size of doggy daycare business, and whether to register or incorporate your business.
- ) Find out if you need to collect taxes. You may need to collect state or provincial taxes as well as federal taxes.
- ) Will you have employees? If so, there will be federal costs like unemployment insurance and other types of compensations now being made the responsibility of business owners.
However, if you were to provide an experienced dog trainer or groomer on your staff this could help you boost your revenue.
If you decided that you want a home-based doggy daycare business, then you will need to check with your city or county to make sure there are no ordinances prohibiting home-based doggy daycare businesses.
Even a city’s bylaws might restrict the size of your doggy daycare business by limiting the size of dogs and/or number of dogs.
In this case, barking dogs and potential run-aways, biters, and the extra traffic this business would create in your neighbourhood might be the determining factor.
In the planning stages of your new doggy daycare business, you may want to consult an accountant to learn of the advantages and disadvantages for operating your new business as a sole proprietor or limiting your liability by forming a company.
If you are thinking of leasing a commercial building for your new business, this type of business could be run from as small a building as 850 sq. ft. and up.
Apparently, the average cost of a commercial lease is anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000 monthly.
Though, you need to keep in mind that more money will be need if you lease an empty building, as you will need equipment like:
- gates for fencing off areas for smaller dogs,
- fencing for safe areas outdoors for potty and play times, and
- an area designated for washing the dogs caught out in the rain or who have rolled in mud.
Having a sturdy fenced in outdoor area is a must.
The fence needs to be tall enough to keep dogs of ANY size inside the fence.
Many smaller breeds are well known for tunneling under fencing, so daily inspection of the outdoor area will also be a necessity.
Make sure that any and all toxic plant life is always kept out of all of the areas where you will be allowing the dogs to be.
The cost of the extra equipment could range anywhere from $11,000 to $45,000, depending on the size of the building you lease and the number of dogs you intend on servicing.
Then you need to seriously consider business and liability insurance, as this will protect your business should there ever be an incident of a biting dog.
This type of insurance could cost you an extra $1,000 on top of the cost of insurance for the leased premises; which will vary depending on your geographical area of business.
Prices vary so much as to make it impossible to provide an accurate range of prices here.
Don’t forget too, there will be heat, hydro and the cost of water usage added monthly, so this cost alone could easily range anywhere from as little as $500 to over $1,000 monthly.
Keeping dogs tended in groups rather than caged is now the growing trend with doggy daycare near me businesses.
Separating dogs by size during playtime is a wise move for obvious reasons, and puppies would need to be separated from adult dogs at all time.
You can expect pet owners to want to be able to live-stream by webcam periodically during the day to check on their dog, as may doggy daycare centers now provide this service.
If you can afford this option, then be sure you include this in your advertising, as a key option.
Making sure you have separate areas for play, rest, outdoors, and eating areas, as well as maintaining cleanliness and a safe environment are vital to your doggy daycare.
You may even wish to care for dogs overnight, which would be boarding rather than daycare. In that case a kennel might be needed.
Water needs to be freely provided to the dogs so to keep them hydrated, especially when playing.
Air conditioned premises has become expected, and you COULD include a splash pool outdoors during the summers.
Besides this, you will need supplies like:
- safe treats,
- dog food,
- water and food bowls,
- toys and
- blankets (old but clean would be acceptable),
- different sizes of leashes and harnesses,
- pet-friendly cleaning supplies,
- emergency medical kits for dogs (see your local veterinarian for suggestions) and
- even crates for emergency use.
Your prices asked can range from as low as $15 to as much as $35 daily, per dog.
Some have even suggested offering half day, weekly and/or monthly rates, and maybe even a discount rate for more than one dog.
Apparently, some of the higher end day care services that depend on the dog’s size, age, and breed are charging upwards of $70 daily for each dog.
So, at a range of $15 to $35 per dog per day, if you were to tend to 5 dogs for a day, you would make anywhere from $75 to $175 every day for no more than 9 hours work.
That would be $375 to $875 for a 5-day week (more, if you work weekends!), and from as little as $19,500 to as high as $45,500 yearly working 5-day weeks.
Once you gain regular clients, this will help provide you with a steadier, monthly income.
Be sure to ask your clients to help you by telling your friends about your business. You might even provide a bonus or free gift for every referral you gain.
It is wise to setup a policy that your clients drop off their fur-babies and pick them up at set times.
But you need to allow for an extra hour outside the regular 8-hour work day for clients to drop off their dog at the start of the day and to pick their dog up at the end of their work day.
If you are knowledgeable with working on computers, you could create a website detailing all of the services you provide, and start a Facebook group on doggy day care and ask your Facebook friends to help you get the word out.
You could show videos of your charges during their play times and share those videos on YouTube.
Also, you could let your local Vets know you are open for new business, and then seriously consider sending your local newspaper a press release detailing your new business.
These are only some of the ways of getting the word out. I’m sure you could think of even more ways.
When considering taking a dog into your care, be sure the dog is up to date with its vaccinations and has been socialized so that it will behave well with other dogs.
You can do this by having your potential client bring their dog in with them for the interview. This will also help to ease your potential client’s worries, I’m sure.
During your interview, have your potential client fill out a contact form with their:
- postal address,
- telephone or cellphone number,
- email address, and
- emergency contact numbers,
- the details of their dog including
- its breed, colour, date of birth,
- health history including allergies,
- their Vet’s name and contact information.
You can find Kindle books that may provide you with more helpful information. Below are 3 that I found when checking Google.
Dog days of Daycare by Josie Campbell
How to Start a Dog Daycare by Richard Witherall
Being Kindle versions, it won’t matter whether an American or Canadian purchase from these Amazon sites.
I say this as the first two are sold on Amazon dot ca, while the last one is sold on Amazon dot com.
I do hope you found the information that I have amassed to share with you here as being as helpful as I intended it to be.
Should you have any questions regarding your decision to start a doggy daycare near me business, please leave me a comment below and I will respond in a timely manner.
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