As a dog daycare or boarding kennel owner, one of the ways to grow your business and make a positive impact on your community is by working with local rescues and shelters. It might sound counter-intuitive,
working for free to build your business, but just wait, you'll see. These organizations play a vital role in helping dogs in need and can offer numerous benefits to your daycare. In this blog post, I'm going to explore five reasons why your business should consider partnering with rescues and shelters in your area.
Increased Visibility and Exposure
Working with local rescues and shelters can increase visibility and exposure for your daycare. By collaborating on events or offering special services to rescue dogs, you can attract new customers and raise awareness about your business. For example, you could offer a discount or a free trial to families who adopt a dog from a rescue, or host adoption events on your property. These activities will help you reach a wider audience and build a strong relationship with rescues and shelters. There's a good chance that many people in your city don't even know that your business exists. Especially if they aren't pet owners. By joining forces with a local shelter, you're getting your business name in front of numerous new pet owners. A small discount or even a free day or boarding/daycare might be a nice thank you gift for saving a pet from living in the shelter.
Opportunity to Give Back to the Community
Another great benefit of working with local rescues and shelters is the opportunity to give back to the community. By offering your services to rescue dogs, you can help improve the lives of animals in need and show your commitment to animal welfare. This not only feels good, but it can also help you build a loyal customer base and enhance your reputation as a responsible and caring business owner. Supporting your community is
very important for small businesses. Because you're an integral part of the fabric of the community, it means a lot more when you give back. People take notice and people
show their support with their wallet, that's for sure.
Access to a Wider Pool of Dogs
Working with local rescues and shelters can also provide you with access to a wider pool of dogs, which can help increase your customer base and diversity of dogs at your daycare. By offering services to rescue dogs, you can provide a safe and fun environment for these dogs to socialize and interact with other dogs, which can help improve their overall health and well-being. Using rescue and shelter dogs might be a great way to fill out your business for the day and give your clients dogs more socialization options. If Fido shows up and there's no one else there, the owners aren't going to be too happy that he's going to be alone all day. However, if they drop off Fido and there are three shelter dogs hanging out for the day, Fido's parents will be happy and so will Fido. Don't forget,
happy customers are good customers.
Improved Customer Relationships
Partnering with local rescues and shelters can also help improve customer relationships. Many pet owners are passionate about animal welfare and love supporting businesses that are making a positive impact on their community. By working with rescues and shelters, you can show your customers that you are not just a business but also a responsible and caring member of your community. For years, my parents took their dogs to a boarding kennel that was run by a Sheltie rescue. She rescued shelties and used the money from her boarding business to pay for the rescues. My parents supported her often because they know that she was doing something good for the world.
Increased Revenue
Finally, working with local rescues and shelters can help increase revenue for your daycare. By offering services to rescue dogs, you can attract new customers and generate new business. Additionally, hosting adoption events or offering special services to rescue dogs can also increase revenue, as these events and services can attract a large number of people who are interested in supporting animal welfare. You can almost guarantee yourself that if you're an active volunteer of the shelter, they're going to send a TON of business your way. Every time a dog is adopted, you can imagine who they're suggesting for daycare services...you!
Referrals rock!