Doggy Daycare

[NotDesperate]

I know some of you have your dogs in "daycare" while you are at work.

In my area, we only have one daycare and it is actually kinda far from where most people are. It is at a place where they do grooming and boarding. I went to check it out and all it was, was they let your dogs stay in the room that they groom in! Well, the little dogs stay in there and the big dogs stay in this other room with a dutch door. Both rooms are very small, about the size of my living room (average size). And of course there is nothing special about them! Naturally, I declined.

But I was wondering, are any of the daycares that your dogs go to, "home" daycares?

Next semester I have to quit my job to student teach. After that, I won't be able to get my job back. It will be the middle of the school year so the possibility of finding a teaching job or long-term sub job is low.

I was considering opening a "home" doggy daycare for small dogs only. I think it would do good in my area because like I said, the only one we have is terrible. Plus it is in the next town over. None are in my town.

I love dogs so this would be great fun for me. Plus I know a lot about dogs, and used to work as an assistant trainer in an obedience school. I would get "insured and bonded" and all that legal stuff.

Is this a bad idea? Good idea? What do you think?

It is just a way for me to make a little money when I am at home anyway.

Thanks in advance.

[la_bride_2004]

I think it could be a good idea, but, you'd have to have a LOT of room (indoor/outdoor) and probably some help to keep it clean and orderly if you are caring for multiple dogs. I do use doggie daycare and boarding on occasion, but both places I use are:

1. HUGE. One is outdoor on 5 acres, and they have a separate, very large outdoor "small" dog yard with grass, a patio, etc. The other is an indoor, and has a 2,400 square foot astroturfed yard with a state of the art waste management system underneath.

2. Well staffed. By this, I mean, there is always someone in the yard with the dogs, and to spot clean any waste. These people are trained and certified in dealing with dogs. When I board overnight, there is someone on the premisis 24 hours.


I take my dogs to daycare when I or my husband can't be at home to let them out (I have small dogs, and they can't hold their bladders more than 6 or 7 hours, max) OR, when I want them to get a lot of exercise and socialize with other dogs.

The first daycare actually is at someone's home, but they have a 5 acre ranch that they've dedicated to dog boarding, daycare, and training. They have a separate house on the property with kitchens, bathing facilities, and a huge grooming room, all for the dogs. (It's pretty incredible!).

To be honest, I would not leave my dogs in "daycare" if they didn't have a huge area to run around in. Keep in mind I live in a large metropolitan city where people love their dogs and are willing to spend on them, so there is a lot of competition for these types of services.

www.ladogworks.com
www.canyonviewdogs.com/boarding.asp
www.urbandog.com

[NotDesperate]

Thank you for responding! If I did this, it would only be 3 or 4 dogs max and like I said, toy breeds only. I have a large fenced in back yard with lots of grass and shade. Plus my large living and dining rooms are empty. So I would gate off those two plus the kitchen. I'm still considering it.....

[Hello Kitty]

I do think its a great idea. My brother-in-law does this in the same manner you are describing and I would say it works well. I know the home-care is very lucrative.

Just some ideas in no particular order, and they depend on your area and what clientele you are looking to service (affordable for everyone or more of a high-end type service?)
- would you want to get certified to administer pet meds?
- what about longer-term stays - overnights? vacation periods? weekends?
- definitely think aobut insurance because things do happen
- on that note of liability, you may want to set up a seperate legal entity so your personal assets are protected
- wear and tear on your home, not sure how particular you are, but dogs with unkempt nails and chewing habits could cost more in damage than you get from their cares

I know the liability stuff sounds over-the-top, because it's just a few small dogs and an interim job until you start teaching, but I really think it's something to consider. Good luck and let us know how it works out! :)

[NotDesperate]

Good points Seb's Kitty.

I knew I would have to get insured, I'm not sure if this is through my regular insurance? Or, would I even have to get separate insurance or could anything be covered under my regular home owners insurance? You know how if someone trips in your house you can file the claim under your home owners insurance? I would probably need extra/different insurance, huh? Where/how do you get this?

Is this what you mean by set up a separate legal entity and if not what do you mean by that?

I hear ya on the wear and tear on the house! I would probably protect the carpets by laying down plastic and then covering that up with area rugs. My living/dining room are empty and will be for a while so there is no furniture to mess up. I would buy dog beds and maybe put an old chair in there for me.

I'm still not even sure if this would be worth it but the idea of it is fun to me.

[Hello Kitty]

Well I'm not sure if it's overkill or not, and it kind of assumes the worst case scenario, but if you set up an entity like 'NotDesperate Dog Care, LLC' and get insurance in that business name, then in case (god forbid!) something happens to a dog and an owner wants to sue you, your home and car and such are protected. It's not something I'm well-versed in, so maybe you should pose the question in the Careers forum - there are a lot of savvy small business owners over there who could help better than me. I don't *think* it's that hard to get one set up, and once you did, you would get insurance for the new name. Anyway, I guess I'm just a worrier :o and I hope I'm not taking away from what seems like a fun and rewarding job.

I think the little dogs would like it though, and it sounds like your house is set up and you can protect your belongings. The dogs have taken a toll on BIL's floors (although he has 10 dogs at a time and medium to large ones :cool: which may have accellerated the damage) but they keep them off of furniture, which is good.

[ManteoChik]

It could be a great idea if your sanity could handle more than a few dogs all at your house playing and rough housing. Right now I've got my lab (70 pounds) and my friends lab (98 pounds) at my house for the weekend....I'm dog sitting, and it really is a lot of work and the house is totally trashed (ie: toys and rawhides EVERYWHERE, running in and outside, ect...not really "trash").

My friend takes her dog to a home "doggie daycare" and she was telling me about it. I considered looking into it for when I have to be at work more than 8 hours...we have a dog door so that's not the issue, I just don't want her to be lonely. However, when asking my friend a few questions I was immediatly turned off.

1)Big dogs and little dogs are mixed - I have a 1 1/2 year old lab who is the most friendly dog in the world, but lets face it, labs are big and they like to play....a lot.

2)Health - the owners are not required to show any identification from a vet as to the health of their dog or shots they've had. I'm sorry, but I don't want my dog coming home with worms or anything eles...that's why my dog doesn't go to doggy parks.

Are you going to require proof from a vet about health records? Conditions is the first thing that I would look at, but the second question would be about health.

[Winter Biscuit]

I'm not a dog owner and heck, I don't even like dogs :) But I had to respond when I saw this thread title. There's a doggy daycare a few miles down the street from me - it's called Camp Fido (www.campfido.com).

Also, my boss's daughter takes her dog to doggy daycare every day and they actually have web cams so the owners can check up on their dogs anytime they want. My boss had the password for the web cam once and we were all laughing SO hard because one time it looked like her grand-dog (as she calls it) was in time-out. The poor thing was forced to sit behind a gate alone while all the other dogs played :confused: :D I find it amusing that they have web cams there because my DD is in daycare and they have web cams too. ;)

[NotDesperate]

Are you going to require proof from a vet about health records? Conditions is the first thing that I would look at, but the second question would be about health.

Absolutely. It would be my number #1 thing along with a friendly demeanor. No sick dogs and no mean dogs. I have to protect my dog too, I don't want him getting sick!

Seb's Kitty- thanks for the advice. I had no idea I could even do something like that, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Winter Biscuit- that is so funny about the webcams! I would have to look into that!

The reason I am so on the fence about this is because so few doggy daycares are in home yet I know one would do so well in this area. We have just exploded with new people/housing to this area and all the newbies are rich people who commute to Jersey, Philly, D.C., even NYC!! And there are still the good ol' Delawareans that have their poochies and need somewhere to take them.

I think this would be so fun! It would be a good way to start out if I ever wanted to open my own facility.

[ejs]

I talked to DH about your idea and we agreed that we wouldn't take our dogs to a daycare run in someone's home. We'd rather take the dogs to a place that had trained people, a connection with a vet, etc. At the doggy daycares we've checked out, the employees focus is the dogs. They're playing with the dogs, cleaning up after the dogs, walking the dogs, etc. I'd be concerned that someone in their home was just sitting around watching tv or online while the dogs were running around instead of actually focusing on the dogs.

I also wouldn't like it if my neighbor opened up a doggy daycare in their home. Is it even legal to do in a neighborhood? I'd be concerned about the dogs barking and annoying the neighbors.

If you really are passionate about this, why not look into actually starting your own doggy daycare, not an in-home one? Or work at one and see if you really like it?

[kemorr]

Animal care facilities such as boarding and daycares need to be licensed. I'm not sure if it is by the state or by the town. However, you would definitely need to go to your local village hall and look into the licensing procedures (just like kiddie daycare). My guess is that with the headache and cost associated with the license and the insurance, this would not end up being a money-maker for you, especially if you're only intending on having a small number of dogs.

My other concern would be the smell. My dog has been to 4 different daycares. All are huge, indoor/outdoor and all have people cleaning up after them constantly. They all still smell like dog pee in the summer. I would be worried about this aspect.

[pewee9196]

We took our baby to a doggie day care. What drew us the the place is the amount of trained staff on duty at all times. They had constant supervision, trainer and vet on staff. I think a lot depends on the area. The clean up is a pretty constant job. The place cleaned up poop/pee VERY regularly. They never stunk- I have been to a lot that did. I would research others that have done it. I do know where we live now 2 places do in home boarding/daycare. It can be done but it is a lot of work! Good luck

[Etoile]

Our dog goes to daycare once a week. She goes to a place that is actually located in a vet hospital. She loves playing with other dogs and since she is an "only child" we do this for her so she gets some active social time. (She does fine in the house alone all day.)

I would definitely consider taking her to a home daycare, we actually attempted this but there was a waiting list, and by the time she was up on it we were too attached to the people who care for her at her place.

A friend of mine did daycare/boarding in her home and the one thing nobody else mentioned here (all good advice!) is that you need to check the zoning/ordinances for your neighborhood. My friend found out the hard way that she could not legally have more than 2 dogs at her home at any one time.

[NotDesperate]

Animal care facilities such as boarding and daycares need to be licensed. My guess is that with the headache and cost associated with the license and the insurance, this would not end up being a money-maker for you, especially if you're only intending on having a small number of dogs.

My other concern would be the smell. My dog has been to 4 different daycares.

Thank you for the advice! But as I mentioned already, I plan on protecting the floors and I know I need a license to do this. The cost of it in my town is $70.


My friend found out the hard way that she could not legally have more than 2 dogs at her home at any one time.

Wow! Thanks for the tip! If you remember, what was the home daycare like?

[Etoile]

I actually never visited it because we had just been on a waiting list. I do remember that she had a lengthy questionnaire about the dog's health, temperament and routine before she would accept them.