Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Writer & Financial Projections
How to Write a Pet Boarding Business Plan
Plan for the Empty Nights, Not Just the Full Ones.
Pet boarding books solid every holiday and goes quiet in between. Business plan writer Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, shows you how to plan runs and suites, occupancy, daycare, staffing, and safety so a lender sees steady income, not just a busy December.
Last Updated: 11/09/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Short Version
What Does a Pet Boarding Business Plan Need to Show?
Short Answer
A pet boarding plan needs to show how many runs and suites you have, your nightly rates, and your occupancy month by month. Add daycare and grooming income, staffing matched to the dogs on site, and your health and safety rules. Lenders want proof the slow months still cover rent.
Monthly boarding revenue = runs × nights × occupancy × nightly rate
Doctor Owl, in Plain English
“A full holiday does not pay for an empty February.”
How This Guide Works
Each question covers one part of a pet boarding plan and what a lender checks in it. Beaumont the Basset Hound, a lodge owner from the world of Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series, appears in short gold notes. The occupancy math sits in one marked section.
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Business Plan Writing
FeaturedA lender-ready pet boarding plan with occupancy, daycare, staffing, safety rules, and projections, written by Dr. Paul.
Start your plan →Business Plan Templates
Industry Word plans and Excel models you can adapt to a boarding kennel or pet resort.
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Full holidays, empty months? Dr. Paul reviews your rates, occupancy, and staffing.
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Free guides, videos, and the Fabled Forest books on operations.
Start learning →From Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest
Meet Beaumont: Every Guest Gets a Porch
Beaumont the Basset Hound runs Long Porch Pet Lodge. He knows every guest by name and every favorite treat. His line: “Every guest gets a porch and a nap.”
What Beaumont does not know is his occupancy rate. The lodge feels rich in December and broke in February. Doctor Owl arrives with a calendar and a calculator.
Section 1
How Do You Describe the Facility?
Describe the setup: kennel runs, private suites, cat rooms, and outdoor play yards. Give the count of each, the square footage, and how dogs are separated by size and temperament. Explain extras like daycare, grooming, training, and baths. List zoning, noise and waste rules, and any state or local kennel license. Many cities limit where boarding can go because of barking, so check zoning before you sign a lease.
In the Fabled Forest
Beaumont’s lodge has twenty runs and one long porch. Doctor Owl asks where the cats sleep. Beaumont had not thought about cats.
Section 2
Who Boards With You, and When?
Describe your customers: families on vacation, business travelers, and owners recovering from surgery or in the middle of a move. Then show the calendar. Holidays, spring break, and summer fill first. January and February are often the slowest. Map competitors: other kennels, vet clinics that board, and in home sitters. Explain your edge: webcams, cage free play, medical care, a spot near the airport, or longer hours.
In the Fabled Forest
Every run is full the week of the big holiday. In February, Beaumont naps on the porch alone. Doctor Owl suggests a daycare club for neighbors who work all day.
Section 3
How Do You Keep Pets Safe and Healthy?
Lenders and insurers read this first. Explain vaccine requirements, temperament checks before group play, feeding and medication logs, cleaning schedules, and what you do when a pet gets sick or hurt. Name your vet relationship. List insurance: general liability, animal bailee coverage for pets in your care, and property. Show how many staff are on site for every group of dogs at play.
In the Fabled Forest
Beaumont keeps every feeding schedule on one clipboard by the door. Doctor Owl asks what happens when the clipboard blows off the porch.
Section 4
How Do You Price Stays and Fill the Slow Months?
Show nightly rates for runs and suites, cat rates, and multiple pet discounts. Add holiday rates and minimum stays for peak weeks. Then plan the slow season: daycare packages, grooming, training classes, and baths. Daycare brings steady weekday income when boarding drops off. The pet grooming plan covers a service many lodges add.
In the Fabled Forest
Beaumont charges the same price every night of the year. Doctor Owl suggests a holiday rate. The runs still fill, and February gets a little easier.
Section 5
How Do You Turn the Plan Into a Funding Request?
Build revenue from runs, occupancy, and rates by month, then add daycare, grooming, and extras. Show staff by season, rent, food, cleaning supplies, utilities, insurance, and software. List what you need: buildout, kennels, drainage, fencing, air handling, and working capital for slow months. The funding request guide shows the ask. For a real example, see how Dr. Paul planned a pet sitter moving into a boarding facility on the New Orleans business plan writer page.
In the Fabled Forest
Doctor Owl shows Beaumont that the daycare club alone covers February’s rent. Beaumont adds a second porch swing.
The Numbers
How Much Does a Pet Boarding Facility Make per Month?
Example numbers only. Assumptions: 40 dog runs at $50 a night, 60% average occupancy over a 30 day month, 25 daycare dogs a day for 22 days at $30, grooming and extras, and the costs shown below.
| Line | How it is figured | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding | 40 runs × 30 nights × 60% × $50 | $36,000 |
| Daycare | 25 dogs × 22 days × $30 | $16,500 |
| Grooming and extras | Baths, nail trims, training | $5,000 |
| Total revenue | All three | $57,500 |
| Staff | Kennel techs, front desk, groomer | $18,000 |
| Rent | Lease | $8,000 |
| Food and supplies | Food, bedding, cleaning | $3,500 |
| Utilities | Power, water, air | $2,000 |
| Insurance | Liability, bailee, property | $1,200 |
| Other | Software, marketing, repairs | $2,500 |
| Profit before owner pay and taxes | Revenue minus costs | $22,300 |
Step 1: Total costs. $35,200 a month
Step 2: Occupancy. Every 10 points of occupancy is worth $6,000 a month
Step 3: Daycare. $16,500 in steady weekday income
Step 4: Your version. Test February at 35% occupancy. Make sure daycare still covers rent and staff
Illustrative numbers. Rates, wages, and rules vary by city.
In the Fabled Forest
Beaumont hangs a chart by the door with occupancy by month. February is circled, and it is climbing.
Step by Step
How Do You Write a Pet Boarding Plan, Step by Step?
Six steps, safety first.
Pick your setup.
Runs, suites, cats, daycare, and grooming.
Check zoning and licenses.
Kennel rules, noise, waste, and permits.
Write the safety rules.
Vaccines, screening, logs, and vet care.
Set rates and holiday pricing.
Nightly, suites, cats, and peak weeks.
Build monthly numbers.
Occupancy, daycare, staff, and slow months.
Write the request and summary.
Buildout, kennels, and working capital.
In the Fabled Forest
Doctor Owl leaves Beaumont a new clipboard. This one is screwed to the wall.
Go Deeper
Where Can You Learn to Run the Daily Routine?
Feeding logs, cleaning schedules, and staffing to demand are operations. Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School teaches operations through Doctor Owl and owners like Beaumont who run on memory and kindness.
Every chapter ends with a one page worksheet.
A Business Consultant’s View
Where Do Pet Boarding Plans Go Wrong?
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA · Business Plan Writer
Pet boarding plans Dr. Paul reviews often assume full runs every night. Lenders know better. He works through Organize-Plan-Grow™: organize your safety rules, rates, and staffing, plan occupancy month by month with daycare filling the gaps, then grow into suites or a second site once the slow months hold.
FAQ
What Do Pet Boarding Owners Ask About Their Plan?
How much can a pet boarding business make?
Do I need a license to board pets?
What insurance does a pet boarding facility need?
Should I add daycare to boarding?
Keep Going
What Other Pet and Care Plans Work the Same Way?
Want Dr. Paul to Write Your Pet Boarding Business Plan?
Dr. Paul writes pet boarding plans with occupancy, daycare, staffing, safety rules, and full projections for lenders.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, business plan writer.
Education only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. Figures are examples. Fabled Forest characters are fictional. Confirm kennel licensing and zoning with your city and state.