The facility will be well maintained. There would be a very large run around area, an in house groomer/veterinarian, a pet pick-up service, boarding service (overnight also), a pet supply store, lounge for the human companion, a track, dog training classes, possibly a place for the local animal shelter to host adoption events. The floor will be made of K9 turf (a synthetic grass) for cleaning purposes. Also there will be an outdoor playground for those warm sunny days. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!
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Have you really given this serious thought? You're talking about a HUGE building (or multiple buildings) on a huge piece of land - that's going to cost you a pretty penny (i wouldn't hesitate to say well over $200,000.)
And you would need building permits, you would need to be in a certain area (IE not in a "neighborhood" or within city limits), you would need multiple business licenses, you would need to HIRE multiple people for each purpose, you would need maintenance people, you would need general employees, you would need a product supplier, you would need contracts and legal help up the wazoo....
I'm sorry, but this sounds more like an indoor canine mini-mall than a "dog park" and i would hesitate to use facilities shared by so many businesses. Mostly because i would be concerned about quality of business and knowledge of those involved is everything is crammed together like that.
Maybe if each business where separate (good luck trying to convince a veterinarian practice to open another office) and had their own regulations and such, their own sectors, etc..... Like a human mall.
I would not use a dog park unless it was closely monitored and all dogs where screened prior to use (which would cost more money for you). Public parks are dangerous as all kinds of people bring all kinds of dogs in - including irresponsible types who don't exercise or train the animals. Horror stories are common in public parks. Sorry, but i probably would not utilize that and if i WHERE to i would not pay more than $100 for a years worth of membership.
I would DEFINITELY NOT use the facilities if you hosted training/behavior classes and work in the same area at the same time as "park time." Sorry, but i don't want someone to loose control of their poorly behaved animal during a training session and have it run up and bite or kill my dog.
It MIGHT work out if you where to have an already established vet practice ON CALL instead of on site. Coupons to grooming. Flyers for trainers and behaviorists. THen again, depends on the demand for such a place.
I know people are trying to start up a REGULAR outdoor dog park in my area and they've been bustled this way and that way by the legalities - it's been a full year and they're no closer to seeing it done.
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Recommended Answer:
Have you really given this serious thought? You're talking about a HUGE building (or multiple buildings) on a huge piece of land - that's going to cost you a pretty penny (i wouldn't hesitate to say well over $200,000.)
And you would need building permits, you would need to be in a certain area (IE not in a "neighborhood" or within city limits), you would need multiple business licenses, you would need to HIRE multiple people for each purpose, you would need maintenance people, you would need general employees, you would need a product supplier, you would need contracts and legal help up the wazoo....
I'm sorry, but this sounds more like an indoor canine mini-mall than a "dog park" and i would hesitate to use facilities shared by so many businesses. Mostly because i would be concerned about quality of business and knowledge of those involved is everything is crammed together like that.
Maybe if each business where separate (good luck trying to convince a veterinarian practice to open another office) and had their own regulations and such, their own sectors, etc..... Like a human mall.
I would not use a dog park unless it was closely monitored and all dogs where screened prior to use (which would cost more money for you). Public parks are dangerous as all kinds of people bring all kinds of dogs in - including irresponsible types who don't exercise or train the animals. Horror stories are common in public parks. Sorry, but i probably would not utilize that and if i WHERE to i would not pay more than $100 for a years worth of membership.
I would DEFINITELY NOT use the facilities if you hosted training/behavior classes and work in the same area at the same time as "park time." Sorry, but i don't want someone to loose control of their poorly behaved animal during a training session and have it run up and bite or kill my dog.
It MIGHT work out if you where to have an already established vet practice ON CALL instead of on site. Coupons to grooming. Flyers for trainers and behaviorists. THen again, depends on the demand for such a place.
I know people are trying to start up a REGULAR outdoor dog park in my area and they've been bustled this way and that way by the legalities - it's been a full year and they're no closer to seeing it done.
Dog Training Methods - How to Train Your Dog
- There is one in my town and I would not pay anything for it because it is free to exercise a dog outside yourself
- for the dog park part - probably not much.... For any of the other services - it just depends, it's hard to say, but you would need to do a break even analysis to help determine prices.
For just a dog park I would probably not use it, if I had to pay.
It sounds like a cool place though, but sounds more like a doggy day care, than park. - I would love an indoor park that had agility toys that I could work with my dog on my own time. I think this is a great idea and I wish you were in my area. I would be willing to pay a membership fee or $30 a month for unlimited access or $5 each time.
- Well, I would not pay to use a park, I might go there to use some of the facilitys you offer but I would not pay when I can take my dog to a free park whether it is inside or not. It does sound like a great idea if it were free.
- My dog goes to a doggie daycare place a few days a week to run around and play. They charge $10. per day (9 hours) or $6. per half-day (5 hours). They've got a big indoor play area, a large outdoor yard, grooming services, and some food / supplies for sale. The owners will sometimes do pickups and overnight boarding (at their homes) on request.
I'd be hesitant to use it if it were more of a drop-in dog park type facility. Would there be a limit on the number of dogs present? Who would monitor dog (and owner) behavior? What kind of screening would be done before a dog is allowed in? One thing I like about the daycare vs. a regular dog park is that there aren't too many dogs there at once, it is usually the same group, and they all know each other and get along well together. - Initial thoughts are that it would be a good idea worth trying out but to keep customers coming back it might be better in association with a hypermarket or a mall. You might need to run it like a sports club with membership and you might need to designate small dog days and large dog days.
What might I willingly pay? In a cold wet dark winter and if you had a coffee bar or whatever then you could name your price. It all depends on the added value. Presently I can walk the dog in the park for the cost of car parking ($1 for an hour) and I don't see that stopping being a regular thing. - This sounds like a wonderful idea. My town doesn't have a dog park or any place we could really take our dog for exercise. My husband always has to walk our dog because I don't feel 100% safe walking him alone. I wish we were fortunate enough to have a place to take my dog for exercise/fun.
As far as cost goes, maintaining a facility such as this wouldn't be cheap. A membership fee sounds like the most reasonable way to go. In our case, I'm in graduate school, so we don't have a ton of money for extras, so for people like us, having to pay for access only would be tough if it costs too much.
I'd recommend a monthly or annual membership fee with the option of maybe a day pass or something for only a few dollars. The groomer/vet, pick-up service, boarding, store and classes should be charged separately from access to the dog park and track.
Maybe $20/month or $175/year. $1/hour or $5/day for non-members.
Depending on where you live of course. If you live in a place with a high cost of living, you could theoretically charge more. In a small town, you probably couldn't charge as much.
A good way to judge what the market will bear would be to call around to your local health clubs/gyms to see what they charge. Then maybe take off a few dollars to be competitively priced.
Best of luck to you. Sounds like a great idea.
