Pet boarding: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering pet boarding
Owners hire boarding providers for safe, supervised overnight care with a clear routine for each animal. Your health record checks, your housing standards and your updates are what win trust and repeat stays.
What customers ask
- What health records do you require?
- Where will my pet sleep, and how is the space cleaned?
- How do you keep different species and sizes apart?
- Will you send updates during the stay?
- What is your emergency plan?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask for the species, size, temperament, health needs, medication and feeding routine.
- Offer a tour of the housing, and show the owner your cleaning and supervision routine.
- Check health records before drop-off, and say what you need from the owner in writing.
- Send updates at set times, with notes on feeding, rest and play.
- Put the nights, the housing type, the play plan, medication and extras in the quote.
- Confirm the veterinarian the owner wants you to call and the emergency steps in writing.
What to put on your profile
- Photos of your housing, play areas and daily routine, shown with consent
- A list of the species you board and the species you do not
- Your health record requirements and the records you check
- Your staff training, supervision routine and emergency plan, described in plain words
- Your facility license or permit details, where your local rules require one
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a pre-stay visit for a nervous pet to get used to the space
- Suggest a regular boarding schedule for a client who travels often
- Offer a grooming or exercise add-on for pets that need extra care during the stay
Licenses and permits
Some cities, counties and states license boarding facilities or require a permit for boarding. Check with your local city, county and state animal agencies, and keep your license or permit current and listed on your profile.
Questions
Do I need a license to board pets?
Many local areas and some states require a license or permit for boarding. Check with your city, county and state animal agencies before you take pets, and keep your license current.
How do I handle a pet that is sick when it arrives?
Refuse the boarding, tell the owner, and advise them to take the pet to their veterinarian. Do not accept a sick animal into the housing area.
Should I board different species together?
Only with a clear plan and a space designed for it. Keep predators and prey apart, and explain your separation rules to the owner before the stay.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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