This idea might appeal to other readers who do not work outside the home. I have been boarding pets, mostly dogs, in my home for the past few months.I started doing this after working for a vet last holiday season. My experience working in the kennel left me depressed about the quality of care that the animals receive. The dogs are taken out twice a day, but only for about 10 minutes to relieve themselves in a tiny little grassed in area which is shared by all the dogs- probably an average of 20-25 a day. To a dog's sensitive nose, it must be overwhelming. If the dog does not relieve itself it is taken back to it's run or cage until the next walk. The time between the afternoon walk and the morning walk can be as long as 15 hours- too long in my opinion. Amazingly, some of the animals are boarded at the clinic because they need daily medication and the owners want the assurance that they will receive it. Guess what? The minimum wage, part time, undersupervised high school employees frequently neglected to administer medications. All that is just the tip of the iceberg. The vet I worked for doesn't even LIKE dogs! So, I decided to board at home to offer an alternative to owners who do not want their dogs in a kennel situation. I have an arrangement with a nearby vet clinic to provide 24-hour emergency care if I ever need it. I only keep one or two dogs at a time, since they stay in the house. I walk them for 1- 1 1/2 hours in the morning and usually for an hour at night. I get my exercise, and the dogs wind up sleeping most of the day. Most of them do not get that much exercise at home. But, like kids, I figure a tired dog is a happy dog! Actually, I am in and out so much during the day that often the dogs hang out with me as I work around the yard and garden. I keep the dogs on a leash or a long lead line at all times to avoid any risk of their running off. I do not have a fenced yard, nor do I have dog runs. When I first take a dog I keep it crated in the kitchen whenever I cannot physically be in the room with it. As I get to know the dog better, and it gets accustomed to the environment, I start letting it out gradually, until I feel I can trust it not to soil in the house or chew, etc. I have not had any accidents yet, possibly because the dogs have plenty of opportunity to go outside. I have the owners bring a chew toy for the dog in case it gets bored and wants to chew. Also, if the dog is normally brushed at home I have the owner bring the brush. The dogs love to get brushed, and it helps me to make friends with them. The owner also usually provides food for the dog. I will do this, at no additional charge, but I think it is better if the dog stays on it's normal diet. Most owners agree. I charge $12/day for dogs under 40 lbs and $15/day for dogs over 40 lbs. Cats are $10/day. My price is a little on the high average for this area, but the quality of care is so much greater than what is available at a commercial facility that no one has quibbled about it, so far. Initially I relied on word of mouth advertising which brought me an occassional client. Because I will be home all summer and wanted to increase the number of pets I was keeping, last week I had my sister (who owns a pool service company), insert my flyer into her monthly pool bills. Well, my phone has been ringing off the hook all week. I am filled to capacity through the 4th of July, and expect to get more calls for July and August as the summer progresses. Now, I don't make a living at this, but I think that if the demand continues I may build a few runs out in the barn and take on a few more dogs. I don't want to run a big kennel, but I think that on a small scale, say up to a half-dozen dogs, I could offer really top notch care and still make a decent enough income to supplement all the other projects I have going on here. In addition, getting people out to the farm exposes them to the items I have for sale- honey, plants, firewood, eggs, once my new batch of hens start laying, and hopefully by next Spring my cut-your-own flowers.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), June 05, 2001

Answers

Cheers to you for truly caring for the well being of the animals! People will gladly pay more for quality service, so "average" prices mean very little. Be realistic in the time it takes to provide you're type of proper care for each animal and recognise your limitations...

-- Max (Maxel@inwindsor.com), June 05, 2001.

Depending on your closeness to urban areas, and the amount of disposable income of your potential clientele, you might consider a "doggie daycare". People could drop off their dog for the day and pick it up at the end. In the meantime, the dog has company and is not destroying the house through boredom, and has hopefully gotten some exercise while with you (walk or a romp in a pen if you add something like that). Any youngsters in the area who would like to "join" your enterprise (boarding or daycare), helping you walk the dogs (for some pay of course).

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), June 05, 2001.

A couple of practical tips. 1)Check with your insurance company, you will probably need some form of small business insurance.Not only for possible injuries caused by the boarded dogs, but in case one of your clients falls or gets hurt on your property. Even "friends" have been known to sue and if the injury is related to a business (picking up their dog or cat) your homeowner's policy may not cover it. You also need to be insured against any death or injury that may occur to a client's pet. 2)Check with your county or parish to see if you need a zoning permit. Around here any business that is not conducted entirely inside your home requires a conditional use permit. GOOD LUCK with you venture, animals deserve to be cared for by someone who loves them.

-- Nancy Bakke-McGonigle Mn. Sunset (dmcgonig@smig.net), June 05, 2001.

Joy- You are absolutely right about the doggie day care. I considered that option originally, but did not pursue it because I did not want to tie myself down with the responsibility of having pet owners want their dogs looked after on a regular basis. I still travel part of the year for my "real" job, so I'm not available all the time for regular, consistent daycare, and don't want the liability of hiring an employee to fill in when I am away. Great idea, though, for someone who is home all the time, and there is definitely a demand in my area for doggie daycare.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), June 05, 2001.

Elizabeth,

When I was young and still single, I did in owner pet setting on the weekends. I had one guy who needed me at least once a month for the weekend, because he had to be out of town. I charged $10/visit (one am, one p.m) and fed, walked, watered, and played with the two dachshunds'. It was a great way to make money in about 1.5 hrs daily.

Marty

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), June 05, 2001.

Marty- That is another great idea for a service which is also in demand around here. Not sure how long ago you were doing it, but $10/visit is still pretty much the going rate in my area, with a little increase for multiple pets. I don't want to do that- I don't need another job off property, I am trying to figure out ways to spend more time on the farm! But, since so many people want to leave their pets at home, I refer them to my sister. She is out all day cleaning pools, so it's easy for her to pop in and check on pets a couple of times a day. I'd be more inclined to do that if I lived closer to town, but it isn't worth it to me if I have to fight traffic, etc. Definitely a good way to make money, though, for someone in the right circumstance.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), June 05, 2001.

This is from my book on "How to Earn Extra Money in the Country." A free e-book copy is still available by sending me an e-mail request.

BOARDING KENNEL OR PET SITTING SERVICE:

Many pet owners turn to boarding kennels or pro-fessional pet sitters when they isn’t a neighbor or relative available to care for their precious compan-ion.

Rates for kennels often range from $14 to $24 for dogs and $9 to $13 for cats per day, depending on the level of service provided. Pet owners also can pay for additional services such as grooming, brushing, baths, walks, training and playtime. Some kennels also let owners bring in their own pet’s beds and food.

Here is an example of a pet sitting service from the December 31, 1995 issue of The Tennessean: A couple in the Nashville area operated a pet supply store and kept being asked by customers if they knew of a good place to board pets. They decided to convert an outbuilding to a dog sitting service. Each dog has its private room, gets four meals a day and is allowed to play with the other ‘guests.’ It has proven to be so successful they were building a larger building with a 10-foot ceiling, linoleum floors, central heat and air and 72 rooms, each four-by-six feet. Each room has an individual exercise area in back and windows to the rooms on adjoining sides. The service is called Miss Kitty’s Bed and Breakfast, after their own dog Kitty Bell. The cost is $15 a night per pet (with $11 to $15 the norm in their area). Thus, if all 72 rooms were filled, the gross income would be $1,080 a night. Even if just a fraction of the rooms are rented each night, the annual income potential is high. Although they only take dogs, having two facilities, one for dogs and one for cats, would seem to be feasible. Is there a demand? In the Nashville, TN area it is common for all kennels to be booked solid for a week before to a week after major holidays six to eight weeks in advance, plus having a waiting list.

A boarding kennel concept need not be restricted to dogs and cats. What about keeping birds or exotic pets?

In addition, the service could include a day care concept with drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening (with exercise and treats provided) dur-ing work days. At $5 per day, that is $1,300 per pet per year. In the Dayton, OH area one such service is called Home Sweet Home Pet Sitting.

House and/or pet sitting seems to be an excellent opportunity for retirees to supplement their income.

A slightly different takeoff on this aspect is the Bide-A-Wee Golden Years Retirement Home in Westhampton, NY. No, it is not for human, its for dogs and cats. For a fee of $10,000 pet animal, the home will ensure they will spend the rest of their life in posh surroundings getting the best of care. At the time of the ribbon cutting for the building, over 2,000 people had requested applications to have their pets included in the 100 openings available. While $10,000 may sound high, if the pets live an average of five additional years, that is just $5.48 per day, plus whatever investment income might be from investing the bulk of the entry fee. (And yes, $10,000 times 100 pets is an endowment of $1 mil-lion.)

National groups include the American Boarding Kennels Association, 4575 Gallery Road,, Suite 400A, Colorado Springs, CO 80915; American Pet Boarding Association, P.O. Box 931, Wheeling, IL 60090-0931; National Association of Pet Sitters, 632 Holly Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-2716 and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, 1200 G. Street, NW, Suite 760, Washing-ton, DC 20005.

For further information see:

 Kennel Building and Management by Mario Migliorini, Howel Book House, 866 Third Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10022.  Kennel Ideas: Tips from Other Breeders on All Aspects of Dog Kenneling by Victoria Webb, Route 2, Box 294, Mocksville, NC 27028- 0294.  Pet Sitting for Profit by Patti Moran, New Beginnings Press, P.O. Box 540, Pinnacle, NC 27043-0540.  Sit & Grow Rich: Pet Sitting and House Sitting for Profit by Doyle, available from The New Careers Center (303-447-1087).

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 06, 2001.