Byrds Dawg Boarding

Transforming a Local Kennel with Goose Software

Kerry's journey into the pet care industry wasn’t something she had planned. In the summer of 2023, her husband Lance, who owns Byrds Handyman Services, visited Keystone Kennels for a job. During the visit, the owner mentioned she was looking for someone to take over the business. Keystone Kennels had been a staple in the local community for 18 years, and its owner didn’t want to close it, but running the operation alone had become too difficult due to health issues.

Lance suggested his wife might be interested. Growing up, she was surrounded by dogs, and her family’s love for animals shaped her from a young age. "Little did I know that my parents were setting me up for a career I didn’t know I wanted," Kerry recalls. She tried running the business for a few weeks and was hooked. Kerry loved caring for dogs and the sense of responsibility she felt standing in for their owners when they couldn’t be there. Today, she is the proud owner of Byrd’s Dawg Boarding, a facility that serves her small-town community by providing a loving, comfortable, and safe environment for pets.

"I didn’t realize that this was something I would enjoy so much." – Kerry

What started as an unexpected opportunity quickly became Kerry’s true calling

When Kerry took over the business, she inherited a lot more than just the dogs. Keystone Kennels had been running entirely on paper; files and notes were scattered everywhere. The owner, who wasn’t comfortable with technology, had rarely used the internet. "There was so much paper everywhere," Kerry remembers. This made day-to-day management slow and difficult.

In addition to all the paper, the facility itself needed upgrades. Kerry and Lance remodeled the front office, separating the grooming area from the reception, and they installed new gates in the rooms to make them easier to use. These changes helped make the facility more functional, but Kerry knew that to grow the business, she needed to modernize the way it operated—and that’s when she discovered Goose software.

Kerry found Goose online while searching for software to help streamline operations. After a few conversations with the Goose team, she knew it was exactly what she needed. Goose allowed her to digitize her entire operation, eliminating the stacks of paper and making it easier to manage client and pet information. "Everything I need for the most part can go into Goose," Kerry says.

One of the biggest advantages of Goose was how it allowed her to offer online booking. "It’s like booking a hotel for my customers," Kerry explains. The system enabled her clients to easily reserve rooms, upload vaccination records, and choose extras for their pets, all without having to call in. About 80% of her clients now use the online system, which has freed Kerry up to focus more on what she loves—caring for the dogs. Goose’s intuitive interface also makes inventory management easy, allowing her to offer additional services like plush bedding or peanut butter treats directly through the booking engine.

What truly sets Goose apart for Kerry, though, is how quickly the software evolves to meet her business needs. "If I ask for something, within a couple of months it'll come out," she says. Kerry has seen firsthand how Goose rapidly releases new features and upgrades, often based on customer feedback. For instance, when Kerry requested the ability to track service packages, the Goose team rolled out the functionality in just a few months. "Goose didn’t have packages when I first started, but now they do, and it’s made such a difference," she explains

Kerry couldn’t be happier with the transition to Goose. "The transition was so easy for me," she says, "they put everything into the system." Goose’s support team has also been a highlight for Kerry. She particularly appreciates working with Kate from Goose’s customer support, who is always quick to respond and help solve any problems Kerry encounters. "Kate is fantastic. If we can’t figure it out via chat, she’s always willing to jump on a Zoom call and walk me through it."

The ability to track and manage everything in one system has been a game-changer for Kerry. "Everything is so easy. Goose makes it so user-friendly that there’s almost no way I can make a mistake. And if I do, you guys correct it."

Since implementing Goose, Kerry has seen significant growth in her business. Since she first took over Byrds Dawg Boarding now serves 5x to 6x more dogs each day. Kerry attributes much of this growth to Goose’s ease of use and how it appeals to younger, tech-savvy customers who prefer online booking systems.

"Goose has made it so much easier for my customers to book, and my business has grown because of it," Kerry says. She’s even experimented with revenue management strategies around the holidays and plans to do more.

"I tell everyone to use Goose. It has met and continues to meet every expectation I’ve had." – Kerry

Kerry plans to continue to grow Byrd’s Dawg. Her current goal is to purchase the land her facility sits on, so they can expand the operation significantly. "I want to build a bigger space where we can do agility training and daycare," Kerry says. Her dream is to create a one-of-a-kind facility in her area that offers comprehensive services for dogs, from socialization and daycare to advanced training programs. "There’s nothing like that where I’m at," she adds, "and I want to be the first."

Kerry can count on Goose to support her as her business grows.

Byrds Dawg Boarding is a shining example of how a small business can thrive with the right tools in place. As Kerry looks to the future, she’s excited to continue expanding her services, knowing that Goose will be there to support her every step of the way.