*** Important, Please Read ***
Dear Our Valued Customers,
This is never something we want to do and we absolutely hate bringing this up, but the reality of the situation is that we are having to increase our single dog boarding kennel prices from 1st October 2026.
A standard kennel for one night will increase by £2.00 and a deluxe kennel for one night will increase by £2.50 (All other charges/extra dogs etc will remain the same price; any bookings made prior to 1st October 2026 will remain on the original rate).
We have recently had our accountants report through and though business is booming and we are busier than ever, the prices we are currently charging are simply not covering the expenditures we pay as a business. Last year we actually made a LOSS…
To give you all an idea, here is a list of the ongoing expenses we face of which ALL have increased:
- Business rates
- Land/Building rent (10 acres)
- Insurance
- Staff wages/pensions/national insurance/holiday cover (Biggest increase in costs)
- Utility bills (including heaters/air con/lights/water etc)
- Council Licence fees
- Maintenance fees
- Accountancy/Legal fees
- 20% VAT (On every single transaction)
- Corporation Tax
- Work Vehicle
- General equipment/working purchases
These are all expenses you would expect to have to pay as a business but they have pretty much all increased at an astounding rate that we were not expecting.
Lets face it folks, living and the costs involved with it are getting extremely expensive. We are a business and as much as we do this job because we love dogs, we have to be able to make some kind of profit to remain open and to be able to re-invest.
We can’t bear the thought of not being here anymore and having to close. We have built something so special over the last 10 years and we are a home for a lot of rescue dogs too. Countless meetings have been held as to what we can cut back on/reduce/change but we have already streamlined as many parts of the business that we can without compromising on any quality of care for the dogs.
We deeply apologise but we simply don’t know what else to do to cover the immense expenses other than to increase our prices. There are already solar panels in place to try and alleviate utility costs and we are as resourceful as we can be with supplies (We have even reduced our reception opening hours to cut back on some staff wages) but there is a point where we have to admit defeat.
We even recently spent thousands of pounds installing new aircon systems into the kennels because even climate change is hitting us hard at the minute as we have to maintain strict temperatures in the kennels.
We are well aware we operate at a higher cost than most kennels in the local area but this is just how our own finances are calculated. We never take price increases lightly, especially when it comes to our rescue kennel operations. Our goal has always been to help dogs in need when we can, and we continue to hold back on any profit-driven pricing for these services.
All of us here at Early Paws genuinely appreciate your understanding and continued support. We love our jobs and want to continue looking after your lovely pooches for as long as possible.
Thank you for being part of the Early Paws family, it means so much to us.
Warm regards,
Early Paws Management