The problem
License conditions require you to see an up-to-date vet vaccination record for every dog, and Friday drop-off is when the cards come out of handbags. If a kennel checks 60 arrivals a week at 4 minutes each, reading the card and typing the dates, that's 240 minutes a week, about 17.2 hours a month, plus the dog sent home because a booster lapsed.
What the AI does
KennelBooker lets owners upload vaccination certificates to their pet's profile and record the dates, and alerts staff at booking and again at check-in when a vaccination is missing or expired. PawCheck, included in the plan, sends each customer a secure link with the booking confirmation: they confirm contact, emergency and vet details, feeding and medical notes, upload certificates and sign the waiver before arrival, and a booking only passes when every required field is complete. A member of staff still opens each new certificate and checks it against the dates entered, because the record has to be seen. KennelBooker's AI certificate reader is marked coming soon, so it isn't part of this.
A worked example
A 25-run kennel and daycare near Leicester checks about 60 boarding and daycare arrivals a week, most on Friday and Saturday mornings, with a queue at the door.
Before
60 arrivals x 4 minutes reading cards and typing dates: 240 minutes a week, about 17.2 hours a month
After
Owners upload before arrival; staff check each new certificate at about 1.5 minutes: 90 minutes a week, about 6.5 hours a month
What it's worth
About $185£139€165A$267C$261 a month saved, at an assumed $17£13€15A$25C$24 an hour staff cost for 10.7 hours (17.2 minus 6.5). 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, and PawCheck is included at no extra cost.
How to set it up
- List the vaccinations your license and your vet require: parvovirus, distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and leptospirosis, plus kennel cough if you ask for it.
- Set them as required in KennelBooker so missing or expired dates are flagged at booking and check-in.
- Turn on PawCheck and add its placeholder to your booking confirmation and pre-arrival reminder emails.
- Each day, have a named member of staff open new certificates and check them against the dates the owner entered.
- Turn away or rebook any dog whose record isn't in date, as your terms say, and note it on the booking.
What goes wrong
- An owner-entered date is not a checked record. A person must look at the certificate itself before the dog is accepted.
- The licensing guidance expects primary courses to be finished at least 2 weeks before boarding, so check puppies' dates, not just that a vaccine is listed.
- The AI certificate reader on KennelBooker's site is marked coming soon and will be a paid add-on; don't plan around it.
- Certificates sit with owners' contact details; give each member of staff their own login and remove leavers promptly, under UK GDPR.