Text Messaging for Dog Boarding: Daily Updates, Drop-Off Logistics, and Holiday Bookings

Part of the series Text messaging & 10DLC for service businesses

Boarding is the highest-trust thing a pet business does: the dog sleeps at your place, for days, while the owner is out of reach. Clients pick a boarder for the facility and the price, but they come back — and refer their friends — because of how the stay felt from far away. That feeling is built almost entirely out of text messages. This guide is part of our series on text messaging for service businesses.

Before the stay: logistics by text

• Booking confirmation with dates, drop-off and pick-up windows, and what to bring (food portioned by meal, meds, leash, a familiar blanket).
• A day-before reminder that asks if anything has changed — food, meds, behavior, the emergency contact while they’re away.
• Vaccination check. If a record is about to expire, ask now, not at the door.

During the stay: the daily update

One or two photo updates a day is the sweet spot — a morning shot, something from playtime, and a settled-in evening photo are plenty. Pair the photo with a short note about appetite, energy, and bathroom habits; those are the three things owners actually worry about. If something is off (not eating on night one is common), say so with context: “Didn’t finish dinner — pretty normal on the first night. We’ll try again at breakfast and let you know.”

Pick-up and after

• A pick-up reminder with the time window the morning of.
• A thank-you the day after, with a link to leave a review. Boarding clients who had a good experience are your best source of Google reviews.
• Late pick-ups belong in your policy, but handle them by text kindly — the client is probably stuck in an airport.

Holiday booking windows

Boarding capacity is fixed and holiday demand isn’t. Most in-home boarders fill Thanksgiving, the winter holidays, and summer weeks from their existing client list — if they ask early. A text to past boarding clients eight to ten weeks before a holiday is the cheapest marketing you’ll ever do. It’s a promotional message, so only text clients who opted in to marketing, keep it to daytime hours, and include your business name and opt-out line. The compliance guide explains the consent you need.

Templates you can copy

• Booking confirmation: “[Business]: Rosie is booked Dec 21–28. Drop-off 4–6pm on the 21st, pick-up by noon on the 28th. Please bring her food portioned by meal and her meds. Reply with any questions.”
• Daily update: “[Business]: Today’s boarding update is in ✅ ‘Rosie ate all her breakfast, spent the afternoon playing with Max, now napping by the window.’ [photo]”
• Holiday promo (opted-in clients only): “[Business]: Thanksgiving boarding is open for booking — we’re limited to 4 dogs, so spots go fast. Reply BOOK to save Rosie a spot. Reply STOP to opt out.”

How ReachOutReady handles texting for dog boarding

• When you complete an update in the app, the owner gets a text automatically with your photo and note. The app’s photo prompts are set up for boarding: morning, activity, and evening.
• Clients see every photo and note from every stay in their portal afterward.
• Each dog’s profile holds vaccination dates, vet details, feeding and medication instructions, and the owner’s emergency contact — on screen when you need them.
• Logistics texts go from your business number through a shared inbox, so a partner or helper can pick up a conversation.
• Holiday campaigns only reach clients who opted in to marketing, get your business name and opt-out line automatically, and can’t go out at night.

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