How to Start a Doggie Daycare From Home

Have you ever imagined starting a doggie daycare from the comfort of your home? For many people, it has gone from a dream to reality. It's not the simplest business to get started, but once you're on your way, it's smooth sailing. You get to run a business from the comfort of your house and you don’t need to rent out a business space. It's an ideal situation for homeowners that have an extra garage or some other area that they're currently not using.

If you're the classic American with a gigantic garage that you hardly use, why not convert it into a small business that can generate a lot of money for your family? However, there are some questions you should ask yourself before you try to start a doggie daycare from your home.

Do Zoning Regulations Permit Doggie Daycares in Residential Buildings?

It’s all fun and games to imagine running a doggie daycare from the comforts of your house, but you’ll need to make sure that you’re doing everything legally. One of the most important issues is contacting your local city government and asking them how zoning rules work in your city. Most cities don’t let you run a commercial business from a residentially-zoned property. Therefore, you’ll either need to get your property re-zoned as a dual commercial/residential property, or you’ll need to get an allowance from the city to run a business from your home.

Will my Homeowner’s Insurance be Affected by my Doggie Daycare?

Once you’ve figured out the zoning issues with starting a doggie daycare from your home, it’s time to look into your homeowner’s insurance policy and figure out what will happen once you start a business. You might get lucky and your homeowners insurance will cover your business. However, the more common situation is that you will need to buy commercial business insurance for your doggie daycare. This will cover any injuries that the pets might cause, as well as any accidents that occur on your property. There are numerous stories of people that have damages happen while doing AirBnb, and then, after the fact, they find out that their homeowners insurance doesn't cover damages caused by AirBnBing. Make sure the same thing doesn't happen to you when you start your dog daycare business.

Am I Ready to Bring my Work Life into my Home Life?

It sounds great to have a business that you can run from your home, but you also need to realize that you’ll be mixing your social life with your business life. When your business is connected to your house, it’s hard to “unplug” from work, because work is always right around the corner. Make sure you figure out how you’ll create the work/life balance necessary to keep yourself sane.

Are My Neighbors Going to Complain About Having Dogs on my Property?

Last but not least, if you’re located in a city, you’re going to need to make sure your neighbors are okay with you starting a doggie daycare from your home. There are going to be dogs barking at all hours of the day and if your neighbors get upset, they can complain to the city and you might have to shut down your business. Perhaps it would be wise to invest in a pole-shed where your can let the dogs outside and if they bark, the sound is contained. Just make sure to keep your neighbors happy, because there is nothing worse for a business than angry neighbors.

If you already own a doggie daycare and need a way to keep track of your clients and pets, check out DoggieDashboard

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