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Importance of a Crisis Management Plan at Your Dog Daycare & Kennel

Last Updated: October 14, 2024 • Visit Blog Homepage


As a dog daycare or kennel owner, it's important to be prepared for any potential crisis that may arise. What are some of the possible crises that could happen? Well, let's make a little list just to give you an idea. Maybe there's a fire in the area and it's coming towards your building. Perhaps it's raining and the river nearby is starting to overflow. What about a heatwave in the middle of July and your A/C unit goes down and now you have 100+ temperatures inside your facility.

As you can see, it's not too hard to imagine what could happen. However, have no fear. A crisis management plan can help you minimize the damage and ensure the safety of both your employees and the dogs in your care. In this blog post, I'm going to explore the importance of having a solid crisis management plan for your dog daycare and kennel.

First and foremost, having a crisis management plan in place can help you respond quickly and effectively in an emergency situation. This can include anything from a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake, to a more isolated incident such as a fire or dog bite. Having a plan in place ensures that everyone in your business knows what to do and how to respond, minimizing confusion and chaos. If you don't have any plans in place, there's going to be chaos and people are not going to know what to do. What's the plan for the dogs when the tornado sirens go off? If this hasn't been established, your response is going to take longer than desired and that's dangerous.

In addition, a crisis management plan can help you protect your reputation. In the event of a crisis, the way you handle it can have a significant impact on how customers and the public view your business. By having a plan in place, you can take control of the situation and respond in a manner that reflects well on your business, helping to minimize any negative impact on your reputation. Let's circle back to the tornado sirens. When you have a crisis plan in place and your employees know what to do, you're all set. You can quickly move the dogs to a safe area and then send a mass text to your clients letting them know that you've moved their pets to prepare for the eventual tornado. This professional behavior is going to help your business's reputation immensely.

Another important benefit of having a crisis management plan is that it can help you protect your employees. In the event of a crisis, employees need to feel safe and secure. A crisis management plan can help ensure that employees are trained on how to respond and know what to do in an emergency situation. This not only keeps them safe, but also helps to minimize any potential lawsuits or compensation claims that may arise from an incident. Let's move on to another example, the AC going out during a heat wave. If you're not prepared for this, your employees are going to suffer from the heat, just like the dogs in their care. If it gets too hot, they're going to have to take care of themselves instead of the pets. By having an emergency plan in place, they'll know to instantly call the AC repair company so that they can get it fixed before it becomes as issue.

A crisis management plan can also help protect your business financially. In the event of a crisis, there is the potential for significant financial losses. For example, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, you may need to close your business temporarily while repairs are made, which can result in a loss of income. A crisis management plan can help you minimize financial losses by outlining steps you can take to minimize damage and get your business back up and running as quickly as possible. Hurricanes are constantly hitting the Florida coast and there are those dog daycares that are prepared and those dog daycares that are unprepared. The ones that are prepared tend to bounce back faster, whereas the ones that are not prepared might be shut down for a much longer time. Which one would you like to be?

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