The problem
License conditions require a register for every dog, with diet and any medical treatment, and records kept for at least 3 years. If paper sheets on the run doors are copied into a binder by the owner for 3 hours a week, that's about 12.9 hours a month, and the binder is what the inspector asks to see.
What the AI does
KennelBooker's licensing page sets out how its records match the England licensing rules. Each pet profile holds identity, owner and emergency contacts, vet, diet, medication and behavior notes, mostly entered by owners through the portal. Staff record feeding, medication, exercise and toilet breaks against each stay as they go, dietary and medical flags show on the daily overview, and run cards print with feeding instructions and medical notes. Records are backed up in the cloud. KennelBooker says software doesn't make you compliant by itself; the license holder still checks the records are complete.
A worked example
A 20-run kennel near Taunton keeps paper feeding and medication sheets on each run, which the owner copies into a ring binder every few days.
Before
3 hours a week copying sheets into the binder: about 12.9 hours a month
After
Staff tap entries on a tablet as they go; the owner spends 30 minutes a week checking them: about 2.2 hours a month
What it's worth
About $285£214€255A$411C$402 a month saved, at an assumed $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour for 10.7 hours (12.9 minus 2.2). The Beagle plan for up to 30 runs is $70.48£52.99€63.06A$101.74C$99.62 a month excluding VAT, about $85£64€76A$123C$120 with VAT.
How to set it up
- Read your license conditions and list the records your inspector expects: register, diet, medical treatment, vaccinations, consents.
- Set those details as required in KennelBooker so owners fill them in before the stay.
- Put a tablet or phone where staff work and agree when each entry is made: at each feed, each dose and each exercise session.
- Print run cards at check-in so the feeding routine and medical notes are on each run.
- Each week, check a few stays from arrival to departure, and look at medication entries every day.
What goes wrong
- A record entered later from memory isn't reliable; entries should be made as the care happens.
- Medication errors are a welfare risk. Keep the vet's instructions on file and have a second person check unusual doses.
- If you ever leave the software, export your records first, since they must be kept for at least 3 years.
- Profiles hold owners' personal data. Give staff their own logins and remove leavers' access promptly, under UK GDPR.