A dog boarding website owners trust with their dog for a fortnight
Leaving a dog for a week is an act of trust, so owners read a boarding site closely: where the dog will sleep, who looks after it, what vaccinations you need, and whether you have room on their dates. Anticode can show all of that and take a detailed stay request plus a bookable meet-and-greet. Because many dogs share each night, it can't confirm a stay against your capacity automatically.
Why a stay is a request, not a booking
Anticode's booking calendar gives each day and time slot to exactly one booking per service. That's right for an appointment and wrong for a kennel block with twelve runs or a home boarder who takes three dogs a night. A stay also spans several nights, and whether you can take it depends on the dogs already booked, their sizes and whether they get on. So treat every stay as a request you confirm by reply. Owners are used to this; what frustrates them is a form that asks too little and a reply that takes days.
The stay request form
The standard contact form (name, email, message) isn't enough. Build a custom form with the fields you'd otherwise chase by phone. It can hold up to 30 plain-text fields:
| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| The stay | Drop-off date and time, collection date and time, number of nights |
| Each dog | Name, breed, age, size, sex, neutered or not |
| Health | Vaccinations up to date, kennel cough vaccine, flea and worming, medication, allergies |
| Behaviour | Good with other dogs, with people, escape history, separation anxiety, recall |
| Routine | Feeding, walks, sleeping habits, whether they bring their own food and bed |
| Owner | Name, phone, email, emergency contact, vet practice |
The form's site function runs when the owner sends it. If you ask for the number of nights and dogs as plain numbers, a formula can work out an estimated cost and show it on the thank-you page, with a note that the stay isn't confirmed until you reply. A formula can also refuse a form with its own message, for example when the number of dogs is more than you ever take at once. It can't check your real availability. Requests are saved sealed at rest and can be emailed to you or posted to a Telegram chat or Google Sheet through a connector.
Owners can't upload vaccination certificates through the form, since Anticode forms take no files. Ask for a photo of the card by email, or check it at the meet-and-greet.
The meet-and-greet
Most good boarders insist on a meeting before the first stay. That one is a true appointment, so it suits the booking calendar: a "Meet and greet" service, a day and time, and the owner's name, phone and email. Each slot goes to one family, and dates more than 120 days ahead are refused. Explain what happens at the visit, how long it takes, and that the dog should come along.
Facilities, care and rules
- Where dogs sleep: kennel blocks, heated or not, run sizes, or rooms in your home. Real photos, including at night if dogs are settled.
- Exercise: walks per day, paddocks, solo or group play, and who decides.
- Staff: who's on site overnight, experience, any first-aid training.
- Vaccination rules: exactly which vaccines and how recent, and the date by which certificates must be shown. Agree these with your vet and state them as yours.
- What to bring, and what you supply.
- Illness and emergencies: which vet you use and how you contact owners.
- Licence details: boarding is licensed in many places; display what your local rules require.
Generated pet sites lean on stock photos of puppies and phrases about a home away from home. Owners would rather see the actual runs, the field and the people. If you post daily photo updates during stays, say so; that's often the reason a nervous owner picks you.
Prices and peak dates
Publish a nightly rate per dog, discounts for a second dog from the same household, extras such as medication or bathing, and your peak-period rules: minimum stays, earlier booking deadlines, and the deposit you'll ask for at busy times. Anticode has no deposits in its calendar, so send a payment link from Stripe Payment Links or PayPal once you've confirmed the stay. Put the cancellation policy next to the prices, not in the footer.
What to pair Anticode with
Questions people ask
Can owners book a stay directly on the website?
They can send a detailed stay request, which you confirm by reply. Anticode's calendar takes one booking per slot, which doesn't fit several dogs a night.
Can the site show a price for the stay?
A formula on the request form can show an estimate on the thank-you page from the nights and dogs entered. It doesn't confirm availability.
Can owners upload vaccination certificates?
No. Anticode forms don't take files, so ask for certificates by email or check them at the meet-and-greet.
What should a kennels website say about vaccinations?
Exactly which vaccines you require, how recent they must be, and when proof is needed. Agree the rules with your vet.