Opening a Boarding Kennel (South Texas) - Page 1

 

Afternoon all,

Wanted to get some feedback, pointers for our new business proposition. My wife and I moved to South Texas (Harlingen) Rio Grande Valley area 2 years ago. I'm active duty Coast Guard, almost retired and working out of South Padre Isl. My dream job is a career with detection dogs, K9 handling with the local PD after I retire. My wife and I ran into kenneling issues when we moved down here. We have a 2 yr old DDR GSD male and found the kennels in the area, between pathetic to ridiculous and yet they were always busy.... So we got to thinking that we could do better. Last summer we bought 2 acres adjacent to our home and have been clearing and improving the land. Our goal is to run a quality kennel in our area and eventually specialize into working GSDs and boarding.

Name of the business is Cameron County K9 Services, LLC

We got our LLC from the State of Texas, got our DBA name & number from Cameron County. We will be doing weekend boarding services initially until I retire and build the actual facility. We also got our business cards, vehicle magnets, FB business page. I have drawn up our contract and we will be accepting dogs in the next few weeks. Kennels will be in the air conditioned garage and we will allow them backyard play time daily.
Pick up, Drop off services offered for repeat customers.

Wife and I are set on this project as we have already committed over 10K towards this investment. We are claiming this business on our taxes this year due to a couple customers last year and our expenses.

We cannot afford to build yet. Plan is fencing off the 2 acres this year. Foundation next year...
I've done my research and books, but would love some input.
Please fire away!

Thanks

Billy Portwood

I only pay a kennel that has a system where they remotely move dogs to an enclosure so they can clean out poop etc. They do not catch yr dog or handle it in any way. The kennel specialises in aggressive dogs. But anyone can use it like a normal kennel and pay for walks, grooming etc or just have your dog not interacted with. It is a unique service that people travel miles to get to bypassing regular kennels. The enclosures are such that aggressive dogs can't bother each other due to clever lay out. They have lots of trees, grass, dirt, hiding places that every dog has individual access to any time. It is less than 2 acres but when yr there it seems much bigger. There is no direct line of site so dogs have nothing to react to. It seemsvthe designers took cues from those no cage zoos that have lions and stuff walking around freely but are actually confined. Its a great illusion to the animals. Please consider such a system. The kennel is off line so I can't show any pics. Most clients are from word of mouth and lots of aggressive dogs that could not normally be boarded without drama go there. I would also consider extra services eg personal playtime with dogs for a fee. Nature walks, swimming etc. These extra services generate more income than the boarding.

You have to be good with people and make sure rich fur baby owners trust you. One bad report and they will destroy you, if they think you love their Fifi dog they will make you. Of course it has to be genuine.

Thanks for the info. I had a GSD in Alaska that no kennel would touch with a 10' pole too.

We're really looking forward to working out of home. You'd be surprised what people here call a kennel. Called the larges on in our area, he was reluctant about even showing it to us.
My wife eventually got a partial tour but was unable to see the remaining runs (due to cleaning).

Another fellow I've used actually rents someone's backyard and has like a single wide trailer that is the kennel. Believe it or not, he is actually good and always booked up-15-30 dogs.
So they rent the back yard and the trailer, either him or his wife stay there 24/7 while the other goes to their actual home. Real weird set up, but he is always swamped.

Our Kennel will actually be about 150' from our house on the adjacent property when completed, along w/ security cameras. As it is, our Garage temp Kennel is about 8' detached from the house.

How will the inevitable mass barking at feed times go with yr neighbours??

How are supplying and treating the large volumes of water required?

Just some food for thought.

I always look for a facility that has solid walls between runs, and the dogs cannot see the kennel beside it (in the building at minimum), nor can liquids pass between them. Something with a surface that can be sanitized, both floor and wall.

 

Good luck, it sounds like there is a definite need for a good kennel in the area.

Thanks, we are in need for a good kennel. I'm in the county, with empty lots between houses. So noise ain't an issue, between all the roosters, donkeys, sheep and goats, some dogs barking on occasion won't be an issue. No one beside the 2 acre kennel property or my house. Great area, parrots, coyotes and tarantulas are native here among others. Kennel will be on its own power and water supply. We're going with a Mueller fabricated insulated building. Plenty of doors and sunlight. Already have floor slopes, drains, septic figured out. Some vets will take pets but they're in a 4x4 kennel almost 24 hours a day.... One thing I need to do is go to the vet that is near by and see if we can get a contract for emergency medical care. If a customers pet needs emergency service and I can't get ahold of the owners.

I tell everyone interested in the boarding kennel biz [ who has not worked in that position] go get a job in a kennel from Memorial day to Labor day. See if you still like the idea. Also After you know how to handle pet dogs, you will need to know how to handle pet owners.