While many factors come into play when dog and cat owners consider which kennel is best for boarding their precious pets — an attractive, high-quality environment tops the list.

What if you could bring in new business just by changing a few things in your facility? If you’ve ever seen those TV shows where they take a plain or outdated room and jazz it up with color and new fixtures or furnishings, you know it’s possible.

All you need to do is envision a brighter, more cheerful space with quality updates that provide a powerful impact. A clean, modern, well-organized and attractive facility projects quality and stands out from other local options in a huge way. The color scheme, equipment choices, and attention to cleanliness all demonstrate your business’s commitment to pet comfort and customer satisfaction.

A makeover doesn’t need to be expensive and it can make a MASSIVE difference to your pet boarding business. Here, we’ll show you how to turn a boarding area from frumpy to fabulous. Best of all, the cost was minimal but the results are stunning. Plus we’ll provide tips on how to create your own makeover to wow customers and bring in more traffic.

A Little Makeover Creates a Big Wow
First, let’s look at the “Before” image of our featured dog kennel design. As you can see, it’s pretty ugly and sad. The staff — and the dogs in their care — were certainly uninspired in this jail cell environment. It was time to add new life to this space!

The owners went to work with just a few simple changes. For instance, they re-stained the concrete floor and painted the block walls a bright, cheery color. Next, they removed the clunky old chain-link doors and added luxury glass fronts that provided a number of benefits to the facility.

Here’s the “After” result of these changes. Now it’s bright, clean and dare we say, FUN. It’s as if spring finally arrived after a long, bleak winter. As you can see, a big part of the change is the glass dog kennel doors as well as the color choice on the walls and a new floor that’s perfect for a busy kennel area.

But you can look way beyond just doors for inspiration. You can make simple yet big changes with modern stacked cages, boarding area dividers, frosted glass walls, a sparkling new multi-functional grooming tub and more.

Create Your Makeover with Just a Few Meaningful Changes
First, look around your boarding facility, grooming area, or daycare space and answer the following questions:

• Is the kennel area looking shabby, outdated or downright ugly?
• Is the equipment broken or unsafe in any way?
• Is the area drab and institutional looking?
• Is the area less than sanitary?
• Is the area clumsy and difficult to work in?
• Is it a space you hide from your customers?

If you answered any of these questions with a YES, it’s time for a makeover. The next step is to identify easy and inexpensive updates.

Replace Outdated or Broken Equipment
Any equipment that’s tired, dysfunctional, wearing thin, or showing other signs of age could be (and should be) replaced, especially if it’s no longer safe or sanitary. For instance, if the doors on your cages aren’t shutting properly, this can be a hazard to you and the animals in your facility.

As you make updates, consider a blend of beauty and function. For instance, frosted glass panels can reinforce a calming environment for dogs in your care. And an ergonomic new grooming tub can literally save your back from the strain of working with big dogs.

Add Color
You may not have considered this, but color can set the stage for a positive first impression of your facility the minute pet owners walk in the door; whether they see a joyful yellow, healing green, tranquil blue, secure beige or happy orange.

Not only can you use paint to brighten up dreary walls and floors, you can install new cages in a cheery powder-coated color, or replace old kennel panels with today’s exceptional stain-and scratch-resistant panels designed specifically for years of performance. These panels come in a variety of stylish colors and create attractive privacy in a dog-boarding facility. And, these modern panels are just as sturdy and lasting as stainless steel - and are just as easy to clean.

Make an Impression with Your Unique Brand
Think about how you can reinforce your company’s quality image with a branded environment. You can bring your company’s logo and other artwork into the daycare and boarding area. Today, the design possibilities are endless!

What’s your style? What changes can you make to create a cohesive, classy look to every space in your facility? Many equipment manufacturers are more than happy to work with you to create custom solutions within your budget.

If you’re inspired by these ideas, talk to a reputable boarding and grooming equipment company to help you turn your space into a dream facility at a very reasonable cost.

Ritch Batterton is President and Co-Founder of TriStar Vet and founder of Direct Animal Products located in Boyd, Texas. In 1998, TriStar Vet was co-founded alongside his late father, Richard Batterton, Sr. when they saw a need for custom stainless steel products in the animal care industry, specifically veterinary clinics. In 2005, Ritch established Direct Animal Products to provide an affordable, durable stainless product line for groomers, humane societies and boarding facilities. Ritch leads his team in working with architects and animal care professionals to develop custom features for function, safety and ergonomics; and the company holds patents for a number of their custom-engineered product advancements. Ritch may be contacted at 877.459.7827, [email protected] or at www.DirectAnimal.com.

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