Pet Boarding Playbook › Emergency Protocols

Emergency Protocols

Emergencies don't announce themselves. Having written protocols — reviewed before anything happens — is the difference between a handled incident and a crisis that costs you a client relationship, your reputation, and potentially a lawsuit.

Escape Prevention: Your First Line of Defense

Escapes are the most common serious incident in home boarding. A dog that slips out a door, jumps a fence, or bolts during a walk becomes an immediate liability — and the outcome (injury, accident, or loss) can result in significant claims regardless of fault. Prevent escapes before they happen:

• Double-door entry: Never open the exterior door while a boarding dog is loose in the entryway. Put them in a secure room or behind a gate before opening any exterior door. Use a written house rule and communicate it to everyone in your household.
• Fence audit before boarding: Walk your fence perimeter and check for gaps at ground level, loose boards, and jump-height concerns. Ask the client whether their dog is a climber or digger.
• ID and GPS at drop-off: Require that boarding dogs arrive wearing a collar with current ID tags. Consider requiring or offering a temporary GPS tracker (Whistle, Fi collar) for the duration of longer stays.
• Leash protocol: Always leash a boarding dog for entry and exit, even if the client says the dog is “great off-leash.” Do not take unfamiliar dogs off-leash in unfenced areas during a stay.
• Contractor and visitor protocol: Post a visible note at any door used by contractors, delivery drivers, or regular visitors. Consider a simple doorbell sign: “Dogs in care — do not open door.”

If a Dog Escapes: The Response Protocol

Speed is critical. The first 30 minutes after an escape determine whether the dog is recovered quickly or becomes a prolonged search. Follow this sequence:

1. Immediately notify all household members and begin searching the immediate area. Dogs often don't go far in the first few minutes.
2. Call the client. Do not delay this call — clients must hear from you first, not from a neighbor or social media post. Be calm, specific, and honest about what happened and what you are doing.
3. Post to local lost pet Facebook groups and Nextdoor immediately with a photo, description, and your contact number. Ring doorbells in the immediate neighborhood.
4. Contact local animal control to report an escaped dog that may be picked up as a stray.
5. Put an item of the dog's owner's clothing near your front door— many dogs return to familiar scent.
6. Set a humane trap if the dog has been loose for more than a few hours. Local shelters and rescue organizations often lend traps.

Medical Emergencies: The Vet Authorization Chain

Before any stay begins, you should have in writing:

• The client's preferred veterinarian (name, address, phone)
• The nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital to your home
• Written authorization to seek emergency care in the client's absence
• A spending limit the client pre-authorizes without requiring a callback
• Any known conditions, medications, and allergies

When a medical situation arises during a boarding stay:

1. Assess severity. Signs requiring immediate emergency care: difficulty breathing, collapse, severe bleeding, suspected poisoning, seizures, bloat (distended abdomen with restlessness), inability to urinate, or loss of consciousness.
2. Call the client immediately. Even in a true emergency, make the call on the way to the vet — not before. Text or voicemail is acceptable if they don't answer. Do not wait for a callback before seeking care.
3. Transport to the emergency vet. Use the contact from the intake form. Bring a copy of the dog's vaccination records and your signed authorization form.
4. Document everything: Time of onset, symptoms observed, time you departed, treating vet's name, and diagnosis. This documentation is essential for insurance claims and for the client report.

Dog Bites and Altercations

Dog-to-dog altercations and bites to people are the incidents most likely to generate insurance claims. If a bite or fight occurs:

1. Separate dogs immediately using a barrier (door, gate, or a sturdy object between them) rather than reaching between fighting dogs. Grabbing a fighting dog by the collar is a common source of secondary human bite injuries.
2. Assess injuries to all animals and any people involved. Seek medical or veterinary care as needed.
3. Photograph all injuries as soon as it is safe to do so. Document the date, time, and a written account of what occurred while it is fresh.
4. Notify both clients involved (if a dog-to-dog incident) promptly and honestly.
5. Contact your insurance provider to report the incident. Do not admit liability before speaking with your insurer.
6. If a person was bitten: Ensure they receive medical care. In most states, you are legally required to report a dog bite to animal control, regardless of severity.

Building Your Emergency Reference Sheet

Keep a printed emergency reference sheet in an accessible location — inside a kitchen cabinet or on the refrigerator. Include:

• Your preferred veterinarian: name, address, phone
• Nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital: name, address, phone
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435
• Local animal control number
• Your insurance provider's claims line
• For each current boarding dog: owner name, cell number, dog name, known conditions/meds, vet contact

Update this sheet at the start of each boarding stay and leave a copy with any household member who may be alone with the dogs.