Boarding
Manage overnight stays, kennel assignments, daily report cards, and check-out invoicing.
Boarding handles multi-night stays with nightly rates. Daycare handles single-day sessions with daily capacity. If you offer both, they are managed in separate modules with separate rate structures. See Daycare.
Creating a boarding stay
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Go to Boarding → + New stay
Click Boarding in the sidebar, then + New stay. You can also start a stay from the patient's profile.
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Select the patient and dates
Search for the patient. Set the check-in date and expected check-out date. The stay duration is calculated automatically and used to generate the invoice estimate.
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Assign a kennel (optional at booking)
Choose a kennel from the availability grid. If you leave this blank at booking, it can be assigned at check-in. Kennel options are configured in Settings → Boarding → Kennels.
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Set the rate
Select the boarding rate (small dog, large dog, cat, exotic, etc.). Rates are configured in Settings → Boarding → Rates and can be overridden per stay.
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Add special instructions
Feeding schedule, medications, behavioral notes — anything the boarding staff needs to know. These print on the boarding card for the kennel.
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Save
The stay is booked. It appears on the boarding calendar and in the patient's profile. A check-in SMS is sent to the owner when you complete check-in (if SMS is enabled).
Check-in and check-out
When the patient arrives, open the stay from Boarding → Today and click Check in. Confirm the kennel assignment and any medication instructions, then complete the check-in. A confirmation SMS is sent to the owner.
At pick-up, click Check out. This closes the stay and triggers invoice generation based on the actual nights stayed. Review the invoice before presenting it to the client.
Daily report cards
Boarding report cards let you send owners a quick daily update — how their pet is doing, what they ate, and a photo or video if you take one. To send a report card:
- Open the active stay from Boarding → Active stays
- Click + Report card
- Fill in demeanor tags (happy, anxious, tired, playful, etc.), appetite, and a note
- Optionally attach a photo or short video
- Click Send — the report card is delivered via email and the owner portal
| Stay field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Check-in / check-out dates | Required. Actual check-out may differ from expected — invoice recalculates at check-out |
| Kennel | Can be set at booking or at check-in; shown on the kennel boarding card |
| Rate type | Set per stay; pulls from your boarding rate table in Settings |
| Feeding instructions | Printed on the boarding card; visible to staff in the active stay view |
| Medications | Links to patient's active medications; staff mark each dose as given |
| Behavioral notes | Alerting staff to aggression, anxiety, or special needs |
FAQ
Yes. Create a separate stay for each patient. They can share a kennel (if configured for multiple pets) or each have their own. All stays for the same household are grouped on the client's record for easy invoicing at check-out.
Edit the stay's check-out date before completing check-out. The invoice will reflect the actual nights. There is no penalty charged automatically — any fees for late extensions are at your discretion and can be added as a manual line item.
Go to Settings → Boarding. The Kennels tab lets you add, name, and set capacity for each kennel. The Rates tab lets you define nightly rates by category (e.g. small dog $35/night, large dog $45/night, cat $28/night). Rates apply automatically when you select the category at booking.
Yes. Report cards sent during a boarding stay appear in the owner's portal under their pet's stay history, where they can view the notes, demeanor tags, and any photos or videos you attached.