Custom software for pet grooming, boarding and kennels

What grooming shops and kennels deal with

The customer pays, but the pet is the real record. A doodle with a matted coat takes far longer than a short-haired terrier, a reactive dog needs the quiet end of the kennel, and a diabetic cat needs insulin at set times. Every one of those details has to reach the person handling the animal.

The day-to-day problems owners and managers describe:

• Pet grooming scheduling by breed, size and coat condition, with bather and groomer time split, and no easy way to see which groomer can fit a large double-coated dog today.
• Vaccination records (rabies, distemper combination and Bordetella are commonly required, depending on your policy and local rules) arrive as photos or vet faxes and are checked by hand at drop-off.
• Temperament, bite history, muzzle needs and handling notes live in a binder or a groomer’s memory.
• Boarding runs and suites are assigned on a whiteboard, with feeding schedules, medications and belongings written on tags.
• Daycare playgroups are sorted by size and temperament each morning, and evaluations for new dogs are tracked separately.
• Holidays sell out months ahead, waitlists are managed by phone, and deposits for peak dates are hard to enforce.
• Owners call to ask how their pet is doing, and staff stop what they are doing to answer.

What we build for grooming and boarding businesses

• Pet grooming scheduling with service times by breed, size and coat, bather and groomer assignments, and rebooking reminders based on each pet’s usual interval.
• Kennels software for boarding: run and suite inventory by size, a visual occupancy board, check-in and checkout lists, and peak date deposits and waitlists.
• Daycare: packages, attendance, playgroup assignment and temperament evaluation tracking.
• Pet profiles: breed, weight, coat notes, photos, temperament flags, feeding schedules, medications, allergies and vet contacts.
• Vaccination tracking: owners upload records, staff approve them, expiry dates trigger reminders, and booking is blocked when a required vaccine has lapsed.
• Care logs for boarding: feeding, medications, potty breaks and notes recorded on a tablet with time stamps.
• Report cards and photo updates sent to owners after a groom or each day of a stay.
• An owner app or portal for booking, uploading vaccine records, signing agreements and paying.
• Mobile groomer routing: daily routes, drive times between appointments and arrival texts.
• AI phone and text answering for booking requests, vaccine questions, prices and pickup times.

Off-the-shelf vs custom software for pet grooming and boarding

This industry has good options. Gingr is widely used by boarding, daycare and grooming facilities. MoeGo is popular with groomers, including mobile groomers. PetExec and DaySmart Pet also serve boarding, daycare and grooming businesses. For a single shop with a standard setup, one of these may be all you need.

Custom software makes sense when you run a mix those tools do not handle well, such as a large resort with training programs, a veterinary clinic with a boarding wing, several locations with different services, or a mobile grooming fleet with its own routing needs. It also fits when you want an owner app under your own name, or need your software to connect with a vet, payroll or accounting system that your current tool cannot reach.

How a pet care software project works

1. Spend a morning at drop-offWe watch check-in, grooming and kennel routines, and talk with groomers, kennel staff and the front desk.
2. Write the rulesServices and times by breed, vaccine requirements, run sizes, daycare rules, deposits and cancellation policy go into one plan.
3. Design the screensStaff click through the grooming calendar, kennel board and pet profile on the tablets they will use.
4. Build in roundsWe usually start with pet profiles, vaccines and scheduling, then add boarding, daycare, report cards and the owner app.
5. Move your records and launchWe import owners, pets, vaccine dates and future bookings, then launch before your next holiday rush.