Dog DayCare inside home

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Moving past that and on to your question(s). First I would have to say that I personally am a bit biased against pet services from the home especially daycare, boarding and the like. There are a number of reasons but probably most prevalent is that home based facilities typically attempt to fly under the radar. Thereby avoiding zoning restrictions, licensing, regulations, or inspections that other boarding facilities in the area (operating from a commerical location) may have to adhere to. I'm am unfamiliar with your area and this may not be the case in your municipality and if it is allowed then ignore my previous statement. If however, it is not allowed then you may be setting yourself up for some uneeded drama in the form of fines and/or legal action from your local government. It would not be wise to think that they would not find out as other facilities that operate from commercial locations in your area will be more than happy to call the zoning department, or code enforcement on you as soon as they find out.

In their mind, and I can understand as I myself have instructed code enforcement to pay a visit to these types of places in my area, is that it violates "due process" or the right of all businesses to be treated equally and have to play by the same rules. Consider this, pet businesses located on commercial property are forced to operate with a certain degree of transparency, they are subject to yearly and random inspection by the Fire Marshall, zoning officials and the like. Additionally they (by being located in a commercial space) are forced to pay rent/mortgage, additional property taxes, utilities, upkeep, maintenance etc. Whereas a home based facility (where the proprietor is the owner) and presumably lives there is able to avoid many of these costs (the utility bill, property tax etc for the business and home are the same entity). By avoiding these costs, home based facilities are then able to charge less or undercut commercial facilities in the area and potentially threaten their business; something they don't like. It basically comes down to fairness. Personally I would love to gross the same amount and increase my net profit by saving tens of thousands of dollars a year operating from a secure, professional home based facility with adequate land as opposed to an 8000 sq/ft commercial building and its associated costs.

What I am saying in a nutshell is be certain that that your intended business use for the property is allowed. It would be very unfortunate to invest a significant amount of capital to dog proof the property and make it look and function like a pet resort only to have the county come shut you down and fine you because another commercial pet facility in the area alerted them to you presence.  Since you specifically said "residential property", that I would assume is how the county or city intends for it to be used per the zoning restrictions/regulations in your area.

If it is allowed then I would say your biggest concern will be making the area safe, secure and professional. Most homes are not innately dog proof, much less dog friendly. If you plan on operating a dog daycare facility from the home (unless you intend on keeping all the dogs in the garage on a concrete floor) carpet, rugs, vinyl flooring etc. will have to all be removed lest they become urine soaked sponges that leave your home reeking of ammonia (vinyl urine will seep underneath from the edges). Trust me even well house broken dogs will happy mark everything they can when you have a pack of dogs as in a daycare setting. Baseboards, stair spindles, couch corners, furniture, cabinets etc. will all suffer the wrath of the bored dog that likes to chew as well. Trust me in a home with multiple rooms it is impossible to keep an eye on everyone at the same time if you have more than ten dogs. Dogs can also chew right through drywall so you would probably have to laminate every dry walled surface (at least 3' up) with plywood or tile it. Of course there is the issue of the electrical outlets, they will have to be removed as urine (e.g. when big boy dog decides to cock his leg on the wall over the outlet) and electricity are probably not a good combination for a number of reasons.

Your A/C will probably end up biting the dust as well, as the filter in a residential HVAC is certainly not made for (quite literally) hundreds of pounds of dog hair every year being sucked up into it. Then there is the issue of securing the area with at least 2 doors between the dogs and freedom at anyone time (screen doors don't count). So you would need to build onto or add that to all existing entrance and exit ways in the home somehow. Lamps, t.v.s, aunt Edna's china collection will all need to be out of reach of the dog areas lest they will certainly get broken. It can be done, but to do it with more than 2 or 3 dogs you would almost need to commercialize your home, lest it soon look and smell like a dog hoarders residence. 

As for the outside acreage, the fencing will all need to be dog proof, preferably buried 6 inches or more into the ground with a guide wire so it will be more difficult to dig under. It should also be 6' tall to prevent jump overs (an Australian Shepherd can glide right over a four foot fence like a gazelle and never even touch it). Of course with an outside area, come dirt, mud, stickers, burs, grass, twigs, leaves, etc. being tracked back into the home. So you would have to take that into consideration.

I'm not trying to crush your dream, I am however, trying to point out some things that you may or may not have considered. I will say that it is possible and I have seen "legally" operating "small" (under 10 dog) facilities operating from a home that were cozy, cute, loving and professionally operated. Hope this helps...

                                               Richard,