Daily task list by shift
Feeding rounds, walks, medication doses and cleaning appear in time order for each handler's shift.
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Staff Operations App for Pet Boarding Facilities
A boarding kennel runs on feeding rounds, medication doses, walks and a cleaning schedule that changes with every arrival and departure. This page explains how SIZ Group would build a staff operations app for pet boarding facilities that keeps each shift's tasks and records on one device.
01
The kennel floor on a busy holiday morning
On a holiday morning a boarding facility can have a full house of dogs and cats, three arrivals before nine and a list of medication doses due before lunch. The team splits into feeding, walking and cleaning, and each person carries a clipboard and a set of instructions written the night before.
The problems come from handoffs. A dose given at seven is recorded on a paper sheet that the next shift does not check until noon. A special diet for a senior cat is written on a sticky note that falls off the kennel door. The team does the right thing with the information it has, but that information is not always complete.
We would map a full day with the kennel manager, from the first feeding round to the last check at night, and mark each handoff where a task or dose changes hands.
02
Connecting a staff operations app to the software the front desk uses
The front desk usually runs a reservation tool, while the kennel team may still work from paper. A staff operations app works best when it reads the day's arrivals and departures from that reservation record and turns them into tasks, rather than asking someone to type them again.
We would confirm which system holds the reservation and whether it offers a connection. Tools such as Gingr and PetExec are widely used by boarding facilities, and their setup varies by account. If no connection exists, the front desk can export the list once a day, which is simpler and still removes most of the retyping.
03
Vaccination, medication and privacy rules that shape the build
Boarding facilities handle vaccination records and medication logs, so the app has to be precise about what is recorded and who can change it. Many facilities ask for rabies, distemper and Bordetella proof before admission, and the status of each record should sit at the top of the animal's file.
Medication records need a clear audit trail. Each dose shows who gave it, when, and whether it was late or refused. Corrections are logged as new entries rather than overwritten. Owner contact details and payment information stay out of the floor view, and we would confirm the record-keeping expectations with your insurer before the build.
- Vaccination status shown at the top of each animal's file
- Medication log with the giver, time and any refused dose
- Corrections added as new entries, never overwritten
- Incident notes visible only to the staff on that shift
What you get
Key features
Medication log with an audit trail
Each dose records who gave it, when, and whether it was late or refused, with corrections logged as entries.
Vaccination status on every file
Required records show their status and expiry date at the top of the animal's profile.
Kennel map and run assignments
Each handler sees the runs and suites for their shift, with diet and behavior notes beside each one.
Shift handover notes
Open tasks and concerns pass to the next shift as a checklist, not as a note stuck on a door.
Arrivals and departures from the booking record
The day's bookings feed the task list each morning, so arrivals and pickups are not missed.
04
Holiday peaks, summer heat and the post-holiday pickup rush
Boarding demand peaks around the major holidays, when owners travel, and dips in the weeks between. The team's workload follows that curve, with heavy feeding and walking on the first day of a holiday and a rush of pickups on the last.
Summer heat changes routines too. Walks move to early morning and late evening, and the cleaning schedule moves with them. The app should let the kennel manager shift a task window in one step and show the change on each handler's phone before the shift starts. A long list of departures can overload one shift, so the app should split it by time window and flag kennels with open owner notes.
05
What the team, owners and vets need to provide
Before the build, the kennel manager supplies the feeding sheets, medication protocols, the room and kennel map, and the standard task list for a boarding day. A new handler should be able to read a sheet and know what each animal needs without asking a colleague.
Owners and vets supply the detail the team relies on. Diet changes, medication schedules and vet contact numbers should arrive through the owner's record, not as a note handed over at the desk. Only designated staff can change a medication entry, and those roles get tested with real logins before launch.
- Feeding sheets with diet, portions and timing for each animal
- Medication protocols and the doses due in each shift
- Kennel and room map with suite numbers and runs
- Standard task list for arrivals, departures and cleaning
06
Judging the staff app by the numbers the kennel already keeps
Measure what the kennel already records. Doses given on time, late feeding rounds, incident reports each week and the time taken to finish arrivals are all visible in the team's own records. The app should make those numbers easier to check, not add a new scorecard.
Before the build we would record a baseline from the kennel's own logs, then repeat the count after launch. If late doses do not fall, the process is usually the cause, and the app can be adjusted to make the step harder to skip.
Can a staff operations app for pet boarding facilities work for kennel staff who dislike phones?+
We design handler screens for quick, large taps with a clear next step. The task list is read first, and the handler only ticks a box or enters a dose. We would test the screens with kennel staff before rollout, because their feedback decides whether the app gets used.
What happens to a dose if the phone loses signal?+
The entry saves on the device and syncs once the connection returns. The time recorded is when the dose was given, not when it synced, so the log stays accurate.
Can we keep our paper sheets as a backup?+
For a short period you can, but paper and the app drift apart quickly. We recommend one record for each dose. If a backup is needed during an outage, the paper entries are transferred into the app as soon as the system is back.
How do we handle a medication error?+
The app logs the error as a new entry linked to the original, with the person who recorded it and the action taken. The kennel manager can review the week's entries, and we would agree which errors must be reported to the vet or the owner.
What does a project like this cost?+
Mobile app work begins at $4,500, and the figure moves with the roles involved, the medication rules and any link to the reservation system. Scope and price come in writing after the scoping call.
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Let's make it happen
Put every feeding round on one device
Bring a typical shift to a free scoping call and we will send back the scope and price in writing.