How to Find Leads for a Pet Boarding Business
Boarding is the most seasonal business in the pet world. Every kennel is full over the winter holidays and school breaks, and many sit half empty on a wet Tuesday in February. Finding leads is really two jobs: filling the peaks with the right guests booked early, and building a base of regulars who use you for work trips, weekends and add-on services the rest of the year. This guide covers how to plan around the travel calendar, who refers boarding clients, how to make nervous owners comfortable leaving their pet, and how to catch the owners posting online that every place near them is full.
Dog and cat owners who travel for holidays, work trips and family events, plus owners whose sitter has fallen through.
1. Plan the year around the travel calendar
Map out school breaks, public holidays, summer and local events that drive travel, and open holiday booking well ahead with deposits. Peak dates sell themselves; your marketing time belongs to the shoulder seasons. Note which weeks were empty last year and build offers, partnerships and outreach specifically to fill them.
2. Win trust with a trial stay
Owners leaving a pet for the first time worry about stress, food and medication. Offer a short trial stay or a daycare day before the first booking, show them where the pet will sleep, and explain how you handle meds and emergencies. A pet that has already stayed once is a guest you can rely on for every future trip.
3. Get referrals from vets and groomers
Vets are asked where to board pets that need medication or extra care, and groomers hear about upcoming trips all the time. Explain to them how you handle seniors, diabetics and anxious pets, and offer a bath-before-pickup service with your local groomer. Medically complex boarding is a niche many kennels avoid and owners struggle to find.
4. Give cats and anxious dogs a place too
Many owners skip kennels because their pet hates noise. A quiet cat area, separate rooms for nervous dogs, or a small-dog section is a real reason to choose you. Say so clearly on your website and profile — owners of those pets search specifically for it, and they tend to become loyal once they find a place that works.
5. Catch owners when their plans fall through
Sitters cancel, kennels fill up and trips come up at short notice. Owners in that spot post online asking for anywhere with space. Keep a few last-minute slots in reserve and watch for those posts; a quick reply with real availability often wins a client who books every future holiday with you.
6. Turn holiday guests into year-round regulars
Someone who boards once a year can become a weekly daycare client, a grooming customer and a weekend boarder. Offer returning guests early access to peak dates, bundle a bath at checkout, and follow up after the stay with photos and a note. Loyal owners also book next year's holidays before your marketing even starts.
7. Track bookings by source and season
Record how each new owner found you and when they first booked. Over a year you'll see which partners send holiday guests, which send regulars, and which months need attention. Use that to decide where to spend the slow weeks rather than spreading effort evenly across every channel.
Where to find pet boarding leads
Google Business Profile & reviews
Owners searching for boarding check photos of the rooms and reviews from other nervous owners first.
Vets and groomers
They're asked where to board seniors and pets on medication, and know which owners travel often.
Your returning guests
Early access to holiday dates and a referral thank-you keep your best owners booking and talking about you.
Pet-sitting apps and marketplaces
Owners comparing sitters are often open to a kennel with staff on site, especially for longer trips.
Reddit, X and community groups
Owners post when their sitter cancels or everywhere nearby is full, often days before they travel.
Relocation and military family networks
Families moving or deploying need longer stays and trusted care while they settle in.
Posts that are really leads
Your next customers are often asking for help in public. Posts like these are worth a reply the same day:
“Every kennel near me is full for Thanksgiving. Any suggestions for boarding a senior dog who needs meds twice a day?”
“Flight leaves Friday and our pet sitter just cancelled. Anyone know somewhere with space for two cats?”
“First time boarding my anxious rescue for a week. What should I look for when I visit kennels?”
How to reply without sounding like an ad
That's a stressful spot to be in. We still have a couple of rooms that week and our staff give medication on a set schedule with a log you can see at pickup. If you want, bring him by for a quick look around first so you both feel comfortable.
Updately's social listening watches Reddit, X and LinkedIn for owners whose sitter cancelled, who can't find holiday boarding, or who are nervous about leaving a pet, and flags those posts quickly so you can reply with real availability. If you also sell to businesses — overflow boarding for vet hospitals or relocation companies — Updately can find those decision-makers from company and hiring signals.
Mistakes to avoid
Only marketing before the holidays
Peak dates fill anyway. The slow weeks are where marketing time pays off, so plan offers and outreach for them.
Hiding what the rooms look like
Owners imagine the worst. Clear photos and a short video of where pets sleep and play convert far more enquiries.
No plan for medical or anxious pets
Turning away seniors and nervous pets leaves loyal, hard-to-serve owners for a competitor who explains how they cope.
Letting guests leave without the next booking
Ask about the next trip at checkout and offer early holiday dates. Otherwise owners start their search from scratch next time.
FAQ
How do boarding kennels get more bookings outside the holidays?+
Turn holiday guests into regulars with daycare, grooming and weekend stays, target business travellers and relocating families, and lean on vets for medical boarding. Track which weeks are quiet each year so you can plan offers for those dates.
What makes owners choose one kennel over another?+
Trust, mostly: clean photos of the rooms, reviews from owners with similar pets, a clear process for meds and emergencies, and updates during the stay. A trial stay or tour removes most of the worry.
How do I find pet owners who need boarding at short notice?+
Keep a few rooms in reserve and watch for urgent posts from owners whose sitter cancelled or whose usual kennel is full. Updately flags those posts on Reddit, X and LinkedIn so you can reply while they're still searching.
Should a boarding business list on pet-sitting apps?+
It can help with visibility, but most kennels do better building direct relationships through search, vets and returning guests. If you list on a marketplace, use it to meet new owners and then encourage them to book directly next time.