Goodstay Team

What the writing draws on

4,300 check-ins

Handled through Goodstay at working kennels. The demo kennel and imported history are left out of the count.

50 states and DC

Kennel licensing, abandoned-pet and rabies law, read state by state and published with sources in the license guide. Checked November 2, 2026.

9 software comparisons

Goodstay set beside other kennel software on price and features, on the compare pages. Last verified November 10, 2026.

29 Help Center articles

How each part of the product works, in the Help Center, written by the team that built it.

Who is behind Goodstay

Written by the Goodstay Team

17 guides since February 2026, newest first.

• Kennel Record Keeping: What to Keep and How Long

  An owner calls three weeks after pickup, sure her dog missed his pills. Can you prove he didn't? Here are the six records a boarding kennel needs, the fields each one must capture, how long to keep them, and a 15-minute audit to check your own.

  November 13, 2026 · 15 min read

• Starting Your Own Dog Home Boarding Business: A 90-Day Plan

  Boarding dogs in your own home is a real business with real rules, even at three dogs and a spare room. Here's a 90-day plan: the permits and insurance you need, what to charge, the paperwork to have signed, and how to land your first clients.

  November 13, 2026 · 13 min read

• How to Start a Dog Boarding Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

  Opening a boarding kennel takes five things in the right order: permission to open, a building, supplies, prices, and your first clients. Here's each step, what it costs, and the occupancy math to run before you sign a lease.

  November 13, 2026 · 16 min read

• The August Lull Is Your Best Marketing Window. Most Kennels Sleep Through It.

  The phone goes quiet in August and most kennel owners treat it as a well-earned break. It's actually the only stretch of the year when you have free time and a list of clients who just handed you their dog. Here's how to spend the next six weeks turning that list into a full fall.

  July 31, 2026 · 12 min read

• The First Stay: How to Turn a Nervous First-Time Client Into Your Best Regular

  A first-time boarding client isn't just another reservation — it's an audition. The owner is anxious, the dog has never spent a night away from home, and the next 72 hours decide whether you get every booking that family makes for the next decade. Here's the playbook for getting it right.

  July 09, 2026 · 12 min read

• The Five-Star Flywheel: How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Boarding Kennel

  A new client choosing where to leave their dog reads your reviews more carefully than almost any other purchase they make all year. If you have eleven of them and the kennel across town has ninety, you've already lost the booking before the phone rings. Here's how to fix that — on purpose, every week, without feeling like a pest.

  June 22, 2026 · 11 min read

• Your Cancellation Policy Is Costing You Money. Here's How to Fix It.

  A no-show during a slow week is an annoyance. A no-show on Fourth of July weekend is a run that sat empty while you turned away three paying clients. Most indie kennels are too soft on deposits — here's a fair, defensible policy you can actually enforce.

  June 13, 2026 · 11 min read

• Memorial Day Is 11 Days Away. The Next Two Weeks Decide Your Summer.

  Memorial Day weekend is the first real test of your summer — and most of the work that determines how it goes happens in the eleven days before drop-offs start. Here's a tactical playbook for using the next two weeks to set up the rest of your busy season.

  May 14, 2026 · 10 min read

• The Quiet Comeback of the Independent Kennel

  A few years ago, the apps were going to put traditional kennels out of business. Instead, pet parents are quietly coming back — and the independent kennels paying attention are about to have their best year yet.

  April 28, 2026 · 8 min read

• The Kennel Owner's Guide to Client Communication That Builds Trust (and Repeat Bookings)

  Great boarding care means nothing if pet owners don't feel informed and reassured. Here's how to nail every touchpoint — from first inquiry to post-pickup follow-up — and turn anxious one-timers into loyal regulars.

  April 08, 2026 · 13 min read

• How to Price Your Boarding Kennel (And Stop Undercharging for Your Work)

  Most independent kennel owners set their boarding rates once and never revisit them. Meanwhile, costs go up, competitors raise prices, and your margins quietly shrink. Here's how to price with confidence — and stop leaving money on the table.

  March 25, 2026 · 13 min read

• The Feeding Schedule Your Kennel Can't Afford to Get Wrong

  A missed meal is a minor inconvenience at home. At a boarding kennel, it's a trust-breaking incident. Here's how to manage feeding and medication tracking at scale without losing your mind — or a client.

  March 19, 2026 · 16 min read

• The Boarding Update That Wins Clients for Life

  The biggest anxiety pet owners feel isn't about your facility — it's the silence after drop-off. Here's how simple, consistent updates during a boarding stay turn nervous first-timers into loyal regulars.

  March 11, 2026 · 11 min read

• Spring Boarding Season Is Six Weeks Away. Is Your Kennel Ready?

  Spring break and Easter are coming fast, and summer isn't far behind. Here's a practical checklist for independent kennel owners to get their operations ready before the busy season hits — not during it.

  March 05, 2026 · 8 min read

• Vaccination Records at Your Boarding Kennel: How to Stop Chasing Paperwork and Start Protecting Your Facility

  Chasing down vaccination records before every check-in is one of the most time-consuming parts of running a boarding kennel — and one of the most important. Here's how to do it right.

  February 24, 2026 · 7 min read

• What to Look for in Kennel Management Software (A Plain-English Buyer's Guide)

  Shopping for kennel management software but not sure what actually matters? Here's a practical, no-jargon guide to the features independent kennel owners should prioritize — and the red flags to watch out for.

  February 18, 2026 · 7 min read

• 5 Signs Your Boarding Kennel Has Outgrown Spreadsheets

  Still managing your boarding kennel with spreadsheets, whiteboards, or paper calendars? Here are five unmistakable signs it's time to upgrade — and what to do about it.

  February 15, 2026 · 6 min read