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How Are Boarding Kennels Coping Right Now?

Right now our lives are challenging to say the least. Many people are just staring into the headlights unsure what will happen next and worrying about how they will survive. However this won’t last forever and it’s a good time to reflect and consider our futures.

Running a boarding kennels right now might seem a crazy thing to do as most are empty and quiet. Owners of commercial kennels will be wondering how long can this carry on for and how will they finance this quiet period. At this time of year the season will have just started as many would have been away for Easter and kennels would have been full but now they can see possible there peak times with significantly fewer customers. Even after the lockdown has been relaxed it has been suggested that many of us will be too scared to travel and mix with others so this could cause a real dilemma.

If the general public decide to carry on isolating or the numbers affected start to rise again this second wave will have the majority deciding to stay at home for a second and possibly longer period. Should this happen then owners of kennels could face the whole season written off which could spell disaster for our industry.

This issue of confidence is one that will take some time and the government will be keen to try to instill this in a very fearful public. Many dog owners I have spoken to have not made any travel arrangements for the entire year and seem very reluctant to do so.

So what can boarding kennels owners do right now to get them through these unprecedented times? Well as the kennels are quiet and occupancy is low it’s a great time to maintain the kennels they have. Put in place a deep cleaning policy and make sure you share these on your social media outlets, this will be seen as a positive sign for the few that are looking to board their dog.

Look at your kennels critically from a customers point of view and try to see what improvements you could make. As the kennels are quiet it’s a great time to check everything in detail the locks on the doors, the sliding hatches, deal with any leaks you may have etc.

Now is also a great time to reflect on how you can upgrade your kennels or plan a new block in the future possibly. These things take time with planning applications, designing and finding the right kennel manufacturer to work with. Start a dialogue with them as a lot can still be achieved by phone, email or sending photos without them having to visit.

Look at how you market yourself within your local community and find ways you can improve this, update your social media regularly and tell your customers what you are doing and show them work in progress so you become well placed to get their business when this is finally over.

We hope you have found this article useful if you have please share it or contact us if you feel we can help you in anyway. See our full range of commercial dog kennels

Stay safe everyone

Tim

Easyanimal.co.uk

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