going to be opening a dog day care, some more questions?

Question

im going to be doing this in my home. i have a big yard and 4 rooms in a basement.
i also have three dogs now. i allready talked to my township its ok.
heres some questions?
would you bring your dog to somones home? what if they had a two yr old child?
where can i find big tunnels and things for the dogs to do outside cheap??
do many people leave there dogs overnite or just for the day care??
do you think its wrong, you can only drop your pet off at 7am and then have him picked up by 7pm and between 12-2 most places will not let you pick up your pet??
im trying to think of a name any ideas?? then ill have a poll for the best one, i can only have a sign as big as 2sq feet thats it.
let me know and any extra info is great thanks

Answer 1

Not if they had a kid(s) there no - I'm a firm believer that if the kids are getting attention - my dog isn't and if I'm paying for my dog to be entertained I expect more.

I also wouldn't want to risk the issues if my dog scratches, bites or playfully knocks over your kid.

When people pay for a doggy daycare - they expect the dog to be played with - not left out in the backyard.

I think you could have a great business as a pet sitter - but a doggy daycare would require actual work on your part and having a kid around wont due. You can buy the dog tunnels and obsticals off DrsFosterandSmith.com. If you want to offer boarding that may be an option - but most people only drop off for a few hours during the day.

Keep in mind that you have to have enough home owners insurance to cover ALL the dogs.

Answer 2

The ones near me in Atlanta, the dogs are let out in size-appropriate areas all day. So small dogs have their own room, and big dogs have their own room, to avoid anyone getting hurt. There are webcams up so you can check that your dog is doing okay/they are treating the animals well. The price varied from about $13-15 a day. If you bought days in bulk (like 6 months at a time), the price went down to about $10 a day. The ones I saw had inside and outside areas the dogs were free to go wherever they wanted. Floors were concrete for easy clean up but they had soft beds so bonier and older animals could rest. The ones near me didn't seem to have any organized activities but people do come out and pet/pay attention to the dogs. There are no toys because the dogs have a potential to fight over them.

Answer 3

i think it's a great idea what you're doing! for your questions, here are some possible answers.
as a dog owner myself (of a 2 yr old jack russell) i wouldn't mind bringing her to someone's house, but the child would make me feel a bit nervous, especially if i don't know how my dog will react to your child and vice versa.
wal-mart, zellers, any home store...even if you buy those cylinder laundry bags and pop the bottom out of them, they will work great (as long as the dogs aren't too agressive and can fit through the bag).
i'm sure many people would assume you would have your daycare for one of 2 reasons: an overnight thing (like, the family is going to niagra falls for the weekend and don't want to put their pooch in a pound for the weekend), OR just for the day because they don't want their dog to be home alone while they're at work.
i think (for the times) you should be more flexible. not everyone can get their pooch to you at 7 am. i would say have drop off times between 7-10 am and pick up time between 4-7 pm. many people go to/get off work or school at those times and i'm sure you would have better business.
have you ever seen the movie "Daddy Day Care"? when i read your questions, that was the first thing that came to my mind! may i suggest
"Doggy Day Care"??, or "Dog City", or "Doggy Haven"?
whatever you end you choosing, i hope it works for the best (Y) good luck and later days :)

Answer 4

I don't know where you live and he zoning laws there, but here where I lived is called a home base business. You have to get zoning approval for that.. then there is home owner insurance. some places want you to put in a special septic tank in, which would take care of the dog waste. Like I said I don't know what all you got approval over, but some how I think you are going about this a little wrong. You need spaces because not all dogs get along. and I wouldn't take a chance of a dog getting into a fight with another one. You need to set up a contract to where all dogs are up to date on shots. Just some ideas for you to think about. The reason i am saying this to you is because I was going to do this but I needed at least 20,000.00 for the extra septic tank that I had to put in. You better talk to you zoning and see just what you need to do to have this.

Answer 5

First thing I would do is contact my insurace company and see just what I would personally be liable for while housing someone elses dog on my property.
Second thing I would do is write up an interview sheet for prospective customers with lots of questions and be very picky about whose pets I would want to be responsible for. I would definitely require proof of vaccinations and bring only spayed/neutered dogs in......

Answer 6

i think its a grate thing what your doing-but i dont know how your going to get anoph sevice to live off of. i mean if your kid is getting attention-and so are your 3 dogs, than how is someone elses dog going to?
i have a dog... a rat-T and i wouldnt take him to a strange hous with three+ strange dogs and a strang 2-year-old. its not that some people wouldnt but all the people i know would say the same thing. but other than that yur hous sounds grate for baby sitting dogs, if it wernt for sercomstances id go to you!

Answer 7

ebay has equipment cheap

and many people leave their dogs for the day and pick them up at night.

I run a training walking sitting business....Go for it!