After months of juggling bookings for my on farm pet-sitting service I have decided to take the plunge and build a small 8-run kennel. Would be grateful for any advice from dog owners or others with experience, or anyone else who has ideas to share. Also, I am sure there are some good websites with info but I haven't located any yet, so if you have addresses please pass them on.

Thanks very much

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 16, 2001

Answers

I take it you have done all the necessary findings about rules and regulations in your area for kennels? In our area you have to have kennels with fire spinklers and internal police alarm system. indoor sections have to be heated and air conditioned, with a mimium of 4ft by 4ft per dog. fenced yards have to be enclosed with at least 6 foot fencing. all pets have to have immunization records,including now "Bordetella" shots.And then you have to have libablity,property insurance in case of bites or attacks.etc.,etc.,etc. and for all of this you get $18 a day.

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), August 16, 2001.

Purina has some nice plans if you call and ask for them they will send them out for free.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 16, 2001.

Elizabeth:

Do you want indoor or outdoor kennel runs. In our area we are exempt from health district regulations if our kennel is outdoor, but would have to install a septic system for the kennel if it were enclosed. We have a six run outdoor kennel that we keep booked solid all summer and during winter holidays. Our slow period is between New Year and Easter. If you are interested in seeing our outdoor kennel, please email me and I'll send you some pictures. It cost us about $3000 to setup the whole thing: concrete slab, roof, cyclone panels, dogloos, water buckets, food bowls, etc. In Western Washington we don't have a problem going year round with the outdoor kennels. We have had only a handfull of customers over five years who have decided their little poochie couldn't take the cold for a winter weekend.

-- Skip in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), August 16, 2001.

Whatever you do after checking out all of the above, be sure your kennels are bottomed with cement, and covered with chainlink. I'm sure you know this, but you would not believe the people who think that dogs can't climb or dig! We responded to a complaint re a kennel (In 'vegas) once where the dogs were in uncovered runs and some were even tied out in a yard (fenced with 4 ft. fencing) and fastened to cement blocks! Amazing! the people who complained left their bitch there while she was in season( duhhh)and she came home pregnant!

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 16, 2001.

Definitely want outdoor runs. I went today to look at a kennel that I used to board my own dogs at 20 years ago. Very small, 8 essentially outdoor runs, 4 on each side of a little 8' wide building. The building basically has a "dog box" type of unit for each run, with a connecting pet door for access. This provides a cozy weather- protected spot for each dog in our few cold weeks without the expense of a proper indoor kennel. The runs are 5'wx8'long, covered, opening into an exercise yard on each side. The floors are sloped concrete with no drains. I am not sure the lack of drains is still legal- this place has been here for so long that they may have been grandfathered in on some things, like septic. I hope that I can get a permit for a similar kennel. Pet care is definitely booming in my area- the above mentioned kennel is being expanded in a huge way- they are building a new facility on the same property that looks like it will have around 100 I/O runs, with a/c; septic; etc. offices; bathing/grooming area and more. I think that I am doing this at an opportune time.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 16, 2001.

Tom, you brought up some good points, thanks. I already require that all animals be up to date on shots, and I do double-check with the vets to be sure. I have not heard of the police alarm requirement here, so unless it has been recently added I think we are free of that. I will ask though, thanks. Patty, I emailed Purina for the plans as you suggested. Thanks for that tidbit of info. And LQ, you can be assured, I will be vigilant about unwanted breedings, esp after the week of posts we have had here. LOL!

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 16, 2001.

How exciting to be starting a new business! Good luck with everything and don't let the inspectors drive you crazy! LOL

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 17, 2001.

You might consider making your dog runs concrete, with concrete walls. At least 4 ft up! You have to remember, not all dogs are healthy and might have diesease when they come to your place. By using all concrete, you can bleach out the kennels, washing the sickness down the drain. Having wood in the kennel will hold the virus and can spread to the next dog who stays in that run. Just because a dog is vaccinated does not mean it will not get the illness. A good web site to read is http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/VACCINE1.HTM Ginny Rockin Red Ranch~Naturally Reared Australian Shepherds www.rockinredranch.com Check out my Links page!

-- Ginny D (yehagirl@rockinredranch.com), August 18, 2001.

Hi Elizabeth, Interesting question and interesting answers. Hope you all don't mind if I jump in and add something. Another good reason for concrete blocks 4' up is to protect dogs from one another and prevent "fence fighting". I used to groom dogs at a commercial boarding kennel that had lost most of his business because of an "accident" between two dogs in one run and one in the next. The two dogs had managed to tear apart/maul the smaller single dog. This couldn't have happened had there been concrete between them. According to the owner, it was a nightmare. Gloria

-- Gloria in MD (mullinaxlan@webtv.net), August 18, 2001.

Thanks everyone for your excellent responses. I spent most of Friday on the phone with various county officials trying to find out what the requirements are here in my county. Amazingly, there are almost no requirements. Because my property is zoned Agricultural, which allows boarding kennels, so zoning is not an issue. For an outdoor kennel there are no regulations for building, but I do need to have a building permit for putting up any kind of structure. The only things I need to do are 1. get a $22.00 business license; 2. get a permit from animal control. Cost is $25. 3. Have my kennel inspected either by animal control or my own veterinarian to make sure that the facility is "adequate", but there are no real regulations even for that. Or, so I've been told. I requested all this info in writing, so it will be interesting to see if the written documentation matches what I have been told on the phone.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 18, 2001.