Many people work during the day, giving them less time to spend with their faithful canine friend. A dog can become lonely if left home alone all day and may express their discontent by manifesting destructive behavior such as chewing up items around the house. Why not start a dog day care center for busy dog owners who don't have the time to spend with their dog during the day? It would be a welcome relief for pet owners to have the option of taking their dog to dog day care center for a day of fun and exercise.
A dog day care center can be a satisfying and lucrative business for the entrepreneur who loves working with dogs.. Business is booming in the pet care industry with Americans spending 34 billion dollars per year on their pets. Almost half of all households in this country own more than one pet. Americans love to pamper and spoil their pets making your dog day care business a potential recipe for success.
A dog day care center would provide a large play area where dogs can play, interact, and socialize on neutral territory. What kind of services can you offer? In addition to playtime, you can offer such services as dog training, grooming, boarding, swimming, dog photography, dog birthday parties, and dog spa services such as massage. You would probably want to avoid these additional add on services initially in order to keep your start up costs down. You can always add more service on an ongoing basis.
How much space do you need to start a dog day care center? A large warehouse space is perfect, particularly if it opens onto a large outdoor area that can be fenced in for outdoor doggy activities. If you're interested in offering a pool for swimming, you need to make sure you have the room to build it. It would be ideal to have an area in the front which you could convert into a store where you sell doggy treats, premium dog foods, dog toys, bones, and other impulse purchases. These make phenomenal add on sales. Most people can't resist getting their dog a treat to take home. Other equipment you might need for the dog play area are some tunnels and other items for climbing on and jumping through to keep the dogs stimulated.
It's important you make your facility as safe as possible by ensuring the dogs have no route to escape. Make sure fences are high and secure and all doors are kept shut at all times. Dogs should be required to be spayed and neutered and up to date on all vaccinations in order to participate in dog day care. Your staff would need to be well trained in how to introduce a new dog to the group and how to judge whether a dog is a good candidate for dog day care. You don't need an aggressive dog causing problems for the other dogs. You would also need a well thought out system for dealing with the occasional dog fight that might break out. Careful employee screening and a training program should be provided for all employees You may also consider limiting the number of dogs you take in on a daily basis in order to make sure each dog gets adequate care and attention.
Does the dog day care business sound appealing to you? It's a business with a lot of potential including the possibility of expanding into add on services such as boarding and grooming. If you're a dog lover, why not consider giving this business a try?
