Daycare and boarding facilities are in a unique position to help local animal rescues. Helping out can be good for business because it creates new clients, positive relationships with the community, and generates word of mouth. However, rescue dogs come with their own set of circumstances and if not careful, can bring about some big problems. Asking and answering a few questions before committing to help will ensure your facility is ready for a variety of circumstances. Write down the answers in a document so they are easy to email when rescues inquire. Keep a liability contract available with the office documents as well. The contract should outline your health and safety requirements, the duration of the stay, the negotiated price, the policy if the dog is abandoned, and all liability for the injury, loss or death of the dog. Basically, all rescue dogs should, at a minimum, be under the same obligations and sign the same waiver as a client dog.

The following questions have been answered per my opinion and are intended to be examples and suggestions. Asking and answering these core questions as best suits your business will create the best possible outcome for serving the community, whilst maintaining safety and customer satisfaction.

Will your staff be caring for the dogs or will a rescue volunteer be coming to care for them?

I personally find it best to avoid the liability of having non-employees in the building and on the grounds. Volunteers may be distracting to the routine of the regular employees and may confuse customers. While it may seem less of a workload on the staff to have the rescue care for their own dogs, it usually isn’t. Volunteers need guidance and help navigating the kennel, which takes up the staff’s time.

I also feel it isn’t safe to board dogs that staff members can’t easily handle, which can accidently happen if only the rescue workers have cared for the dog. As a safety policy for the employees, I feel it’s better not to have 2-4 different people coming in and out each day. Though there has rarely ever been an issue, dealing with a sexual harassment claim or threat complaint between an employee and a volunteer is a rocky terrain to navigate.

Who will determine the safety of the dog’s temperament?

If you have a dog trainer on staff, give this job to them. Otherwise, ask for a written evaluation from a CPDT-KA (or equivalent), a veterinary technician specialized in behavior, or a veterinarian behaviorist. Knowing the issues a dog has before accepting them under the care of your staff is vital. Dogs who have lived their lives without owners, or with abusive owners can require specialized training. Ask the evaluator for a training plan and assess the time and costs associated with having your employees execute the training. Once all safety concerns have been minimized to their lowest point, I’ve found that working with rescue dogs can be an amazing learning opportunity for staff members. Training rescue dogs brings a sense of added accomplishment to the job and creates employees with advanced dog handling skills.

Will you be charging a fee per night or donating the kennel space?

I’ve dealt with this issue many ways. At the present moment, I keep one kennel spot open for a rescue dog to use at no cost to the rescue during all times of the year except spring break and six weeks during the summer. For tax purposes, the rescue is charged a discounted rate and my business donates the cost to the rescue, which gives the business a tax write off. This only works with a 501c3 animal rescue and only works well when it’s a rescue you’ve worked with for a year or more.

For all other animal rescues, I offer the kennel space at a discounted rate with a contract specific to the dog for 6 weeks at a time. I’ve found that a contract without an end date creates problems. The contract can always be re-evaluated at the end of the 6 weeks if the dog has yet to be adopted.

Will you collect payment ahead of time? Weekly? Monthly?

I collect payment at the end of the dog’s visit but I keep a credit card on file for veterinary emergencies and require a deposit of $100.00 per dog. I do not send a dog home for adoption or allow the dog to leave with a volunteer without full payment.

Will you allow potential adopters to come visit the dogs without a rescue volunteer?

I accept appointments for pre-approved applicants to come visit with the dogs. This means that the visiting family has already filled out an application and has been approved for adoption by the rescue before visiting the dog. I don’t handle any of the paperwork or fees associated with the rescue. Keeping track of paperwork, even for a few days takes time and effort and can cause stress if lost or ruined. If the adopter insists on leaving paperwork with me, I offer them an envelope and a stamp and politely insist they mail it.

Will rescue dogs be allowed to interact with clients’ dogs in daycare?

If the dog is friendly and social with other dogs, yes. Rescue dogs are required to have the same health screenings and vaccinations prior to entry as all other visiting dogs to ensure the health and safety of the kennel grounds. In addition to the simple evaluation, all new clients’ dogs go through, a trainer and/or vet has also evaluated the visiting rescue dogs. If either of these steps were skipped, I would strictly keep them separated. It’s terrible for a client to hear that a dog without an owner has injured their dog and the story spreads quickly through the community.

Though the process we use ensures that visiting rescue dogs are just as safe and healthy as clients’ dogs, the idea of a shelter dog still scares many people. If the evaluations are done properly, the likelihood of any dog injuries happening will be very low. When in doubt, keep the rescue dogs separated. The goal should always be safety first; fun and socialization second. If unsure whether the dog is social or not, ask the rescue to introduce the dog to other dogs in a different location and send over a video so you can make a decision about putting the dog in daycare.

Who will provide food and vetting for the dog?

I donate the food because we get it at cost and donating it can also be written off for tax purposes. Before being kenneled, the dog is required to have had all vaccinations, flea treatments, and de-worming administered no less than 7 days prior to entering the building. If a staff member notices an issue when checking the dog in, I have them call me. I try to meet all rescue dogs personally but it’s a good idea for all staff members to know the signs of kennel cough, ticks, fleas, ringworm, mange, tapeworms, and ear infections. If the dog has any of these, I do not allow them to stay until the dog has been treated and finished the medication.

Skipping over policies because a dog is on death row at a shelter or another emergency is just simply not something a boarding and daycare kennel is set up for. Dogs can carry such a wide variety of transmittable infections and parasites, many of which can live on the surfaces or in the grass for years.

Do you allow all breeds and ages of rescue dogs?

All dogs are evaluated on temperament regardless of breed. I do not allow puppies under the age of 4 months because we require completed vaccinations.

My personal belief is that adhering to strict policies regarding health and safety will create the best possible outcome. Doing things properly casts a positive light on all involved. Creating a reputation that your kennel and the participating rescues have highly adoptable dogs can spread, getting the dogs into their new homes more quickly. As an added bonus, almost all of our adopted dogs are now clients. The community knows that we are honest about temperament and critical about safety, which makes knowing we help rescue dogs a positive thing and not a scary one.

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