Corridor kennels learn to play well with their clients

Before Mary Pfoff started Apple Creek Kennels in Marion, she had a client list of some 100 dogs for her small boarding business.

“Today, we have 1,500 customers in just over a year,” she said.

“We averaged 55 dogs a day in March,” Pfoff added, noting it has proven to be one of the busiest times of the year.

Half Moon Kennels in Tiffin, opened by Chad and Rosanne Payne in late 2012, also had a rush of business for a few weeks.

“Right now we are averaging 5 or 6 dogs during the week and 10 dogs on the weekend,” Chad Payne said. “We have 14 kennels so we are running at 60 percent occupancy, but we were at 100 percent during spring break.”

Steady summers

Sharon and John Pease own Hilltop Kennel - sitting on five-and-a-half parklike acres in southwest Cedar Rapids - which they opened in 1979. Having been in the business for more than 30 years they know what to expect seasonally.

“When we are full we may have 80 to 90 dogs on a summer weekend,” Sharon Pease said. “As soon as school gets out, it stays steady busy until school starts again in the fall.”

Business tends to slow down in January and February each year.

Other factors - beside holiday travel - tend to influence reservations for pets to stay.

“If airlines run a special, our phones start ringing,” said Pfoff.

Sporting events - high school state championship games and college football, for example - also can be a factor.

“We were actually down in January because the Hawkeyes didn't go to a bowl game,” she recalled.

Balancing income

Kennels often are boarding pets for a long weekend up to a week or two but are occasionally provide care for extended stays.

Apple Creek includes walks and playtime with staff. Providing boarding and day care at one location is not only built to suit customers, but also to help balance income.

“What you hope for is that boarding dogs keeps you busy Thursday through Monday, and that day care numbers help fill the void Tuesday through Thursday,” Pfoff said.

At Apple Creek, Pfoff works has 15 employees to ensure the dogs are well taken care of 24 hours a day. Apple Creek also offers extended hours - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 365 days a year - for pick up and drop off.

“My staff is trained on how to put animals together,” Pfoff said.

Pease agreed, noting she spends a lot of time figuring out which dogs should be boarded in which pens.

“A big majority of our business is repeat customers, so I know their dogs. I make notes and decide where they will be most comfortable,” she said.

The best spot

Cleanliness of the facility is another important factor. Pease noted that all kennels have to be licensed through the state Department of Agriculture, who does routine, unscheduled inspections. For Payne, the land itself on which his kennel would be situated was critical.

“The kennel we wanted to have would have an area for the dogs to run and play together,” Payne said.

He spent three years searching for the best spot to build the new kennel, before finding the current 14 acres - including one fenced acre for the dogs to run freely - where Half Moon Kennels is located.

“There is lots of room to run, so the dogs are together playing and exercising,” he said. “It's like a dog park. We throw the ball to the dogs all day long.

“You are taking care of people's extended family members,” he added.

“These dogs are their babies,” Pease agreed.

“As a kennel owner we are trying really hard to make the dogs safe and comfortable. It's a very personal business and we take it really seriously here.”