I need help from fellow dog lovers :)

[dogresort]

Hello everybody (and hello to all your beautiful dogs too! )

I am looking for suggesions or advice for an idea of mine - and the only place to look for these suggestions are straight from the source - dog lovers!

I am currently a Business student in university. When i am finished my degree, I would love to encorporate my love for dogs with this knowledge.

I have come up with an idea, but there's no one better to help with this idea than dog owners themselves.
I want to start up a dog boarding facility. This won't be just your regular dog kennel, with wire runs and a daily 10 minute walk... I want to create a 5-star luxury boarding facility for dogs.

My ideas thus far are as follows:
- Individual ROOMS for each dog, each with access to a large outdoor run. These rooms will be like the ones in your own home, roughly 10 by 10 feet.
- 2-4 acres of SECURELY FENCED outdoor play area, complete with built in pond for the dogs who love the water
- Optional add-ons to your dogs suite such as: Couch, TV, 24 hr Live WebCam
- Free daily e-mail report (complete with photo) to each dog's owner to give some peace of mind
- No segregation of dog's breed or breed size - all dogs treated equal (except that smaller dogs will be exercised at a different time than larger ones)
- Temperament evaluation of all dogs prior to acceptance into the resort
- Maxiumum 20 dogs at any one time
- Owners will have the option to have their dogs exercised with other dogs, exercised without other dogs, or both (no price difference). All dogs will recieve lots of one-on-one play and cuddle with a person.

- Price will range from $35 to $45 CDN per night, depending on the season.
- I plan on going to professional dog training school before I attempt this business.

So now that you got a bit of an idea of what I'm thinking... what do you think? Any additional suggestions? What else would you like to see at a facility like this?

There are only a few boarding kennels for dogs in my area, but all are the traditional ones. I think my dog would be much more comfortable in a different environment, which is where this idea came from.

I've attached some examples (thanks to 3D Home architect) of what I've got in my head:
One of the interior dog suite area, one of the exterior, and another of an indiviual suite.


Once again, any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!!

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[zoesmom]

Sounds like a great idea. Could you come to Hawaii and do one?
The only thing are the individual rooms. I don't think my dog would enjoy being in a room all alone.

[CoCosMom]

Pretty snazzy!

Perhaps you could offer to place 2 dogs in one room, for a discount, if they were either (a) from the same home, or (b) matched/played well together?

[Sheila]

What a great idea!! I would like a place like that around here ;D ;D

[Kathryn]

I love the idea! Any animal/dog lover would be pleased with this idea!

[TobysTrix]

Sounds like a great idea. But I think the rooming should have options (and therefore different prices). Some dogs would probably be best off in single rooms alone, or that might be the owner preference. Dogs from the same house would probably want to share a room. And some dogs would probably prefer communal rooms of several friends - you could separate them out based on size, temperament, and age.

The doggie daycare place we take Toby offers boarding, not quite as fancy as your idea, but not that far off, either. They have communal rooms with 10 dogs maximum, separated by age, size, and temperament (there are 4 main rooms and three smaller ones). If you want your dog separated or crated to sleep, you need to bring your own crate. You also have to bring your own food. The main rooms are actually all one big room divided by 4.5 foot high "walls". There is someone who sleeps on a futon in one of the main rooms with the dogs, so they have direct supervision 24-hours a day. One of my favorite features they offer is a live streaming video webcam for the two main play-rooms during the day. Unfortunately, they do not have a large outdoor area with a pond, but they do have an enclosed outdoor yard that is plenty large enough to run, has specific potty areas, and a number of toys (a doghouse, wading pool, "car", etc.). It's a great place, but I could totally see using it as a starting model to be improved upon.

Have you considered offering grooming services as well?

Oh another cool thing that our place offers is if you took obedience class from them (we did), they will continue to work a bit with your dog on commands while it stays with them. That's very nice.

Good luck.

[Chester B. Dickens]

Rooms like in my house? With carpeting and furniture?? How are you going to deal with hygeine issues? At the very least, you're gonna have a ton of hair in there, and at worst, you'll have to watch for ticks and fleas -- not to mention the pup or older dog who may be incontinent.

Not that I don't think there's a market for this kind of thing (dog owners in particular will shell out bux for just about anything in the name of love for their fuzzy friends), but I just want to make sure you've thought it through all the way.....

[jzgrlduff]

Rooms like in my house? With carpeting and furniture?? How are you going to deal with hygeine issues? At the very least, you're gonna have a ton of hair in there, and at worst, you'll have to watch for ticks and fleas -- not to mention the pup or older dog who may be incontinent.

I don't think it would be any different than the millions of hotels that allow dogs in the rooms now. Sheeeet, when we left The Engleside last week, I couldn't believe they would be able to get all the dog hair off the sofa. It's always spotless though!!

I think it's a great idea, and I love the look you designed!! Where are you located? I always said I would like to open a place like that. How about adding a small indoor pool for therapy/swimming?

[dogresort]

Thanks for the quick responses!

The double-dog room is a great idea.. for dogs who are from the same household or do well with each other. The last thing I need are dog fights. And a lower price for that would be offered. Thanks for the suggestion!
One thing that was suggested in another forum was that lots of people aren't smart enough to know whether or not their dog would get along with other dogs for a few days, so the communal dog area would be risky. Of course, I could evaluate each dog individually to determine their compatablility and temperament.

I have given a lot of thought to the rooms.
Flooring would not be carpet. I haven't done in-depth research on it, but I would like it to be some sort of rubber-ish material. Carpet (like you mentioned) would be very difficult to keep clean, but something like lino or tile would be slippery, and not comfortable for the dog.
Walls would also be carefully thought out. Definately waterproof and easily cleaned. But definately not just your average drywall.
As far as the furniture goes, I've been doing some digging to find some sort of cover for chairs and couches. I'm looking for something durable (in case the dog wants to chew it) and something that can easily be cleaned and disinfected, should the dog soil it. And of course comfortable. (if anyone has any ideas, let me know!)
In reality, the room's materials would be nothing like your house, but I would do my best to imitate the look and feeling.
Any more responses are welcome

Silly me, I forgot to introduce my dog.
This is Sierra. She's a 3.5 year old purebred mutt that was found on the street when she was about 6 weeks old. She is an absolute dream, and I would not give her up for the world.



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[jzgrlduff]

Sierra is absolutely beautiful, I love her coloring!!

but I would like it to be some sort of rubber-ish material.

Our training facility has some thick black rubbery stuff down on the floor. Not exactly sure what it is, but it's comfy b/c it's thick, and it cleans up beautifully!!