Pet services
Books and taxes for board-and-train programs.
Program deposits, two-week and four-week stays, staff wages, and food and boarding costs while the dog is with you. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $14,400. Two clients paid deposits for programs that start in September, so I did not count that money until the dogs actually arrive.
- Square, program depositProgram deposits
- Zelle, balance dueProgram balances
- Chewy for Business orderFood and boarding supplies
- Kennel tech payrollStaff wages
- Petco crate orderKennel equipment
Why your books are different
Board-and-train books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees a deposit and a balance. Your business is a dog living in your kennel for two to four weeks, staff feeding and training every day, and money paid weeks before the stay starts. The books need to know all of that.
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1
Deposits get counted before the dog arrives
A client pays a $600 deposit in August to hold a September slot. Book that as August income and the month looks stronger than it is, while September, when the actual training happens, looks thin.
What we doHolds deposits as owed work until the program starts, so the month you count as income is the month you actually did the training. -
2
Kennel staff pay hides what a program really costs
Feeding, walking, and training four dogs at once takes real staff hours, but if wages sit in one lump sum you cannot tell whether a two-week program price actually covers the labor it takes.
What we doKeeps kennel and training staff wages visible against program income, so pricing is based on what it actually costs to run a stay. -
3
Food and boarding supplies get bought in bulk
A large order of food, bedding, and cleaning supplies lands once and makes that month look expensive, while the next few months, living off that stock, look artificially cheap.
What we doKeeps food and boarding supplies in one steady line and tells you when a bulk order is the reason a month looks heavy. -
4
Refunds for early pickups go untracked
A client pulls their dog out of a four-week program after two weeks and gets a partial refund. In the bank feed that just looks like a random withdrawal with no tie back to the program it came from.
What we doMatches refunds to the program they belong to, so your income and your remaining program balances both stay accurate.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a board-and-train program.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Program depositsHeld as owed work until the dog's stay actually begins.
- Program balancesThe remainder due at drop-off or pickup.
- Add-on sessionsExtra owner handling lessons sold alongside a stay.
- Extended stay feesCharges for a program that runs longer than planned.
Money out
- Staff wagesKennel techs and trainers who feed, walk, and train the dogs in your care.
- Food and boarding suppliesFood, bedding, and cleaning supplies bought for the dogs on site.
- Kennel equipmentCrates, runs, and enrichment gear, logged separately from consumables.
- Liability and bonding insuranceCoverage for dogs boarded in your care overnight.
- Facility rent and utilitiesSpace where the dogs live and train during their stay.
- MarketingMeta ads, referral cards, and the program listing site.
What we watch for you
- Deposit balance
Money held for programs that have not started yet, so you know what is truly owed.
- Labor share
Staff wages against program income, to check pricing covers what a stay actually costs.
- Refund rate
How often early pickups or cancellations eat into a program's income.
- Capacity used
How many kennel slots are running against how many you have, tracked from bookings.
Ask Gus
Things board-and-train owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not yet. I hold it as owed work until the dog actually arrives, so the month shows what training really happened.
I matched it back to that program, so your income for the stay and the refund both show up honest, not as a random withdrawal.
That call is above my pay grade alone. Someone working your hours in your kennel usually looks like an employee, and the accountant should weigh in before you set the pay structure.
The tax side
The tax side of a board-and-train program.
Most of what matters here is timing deposits right and keeping staff pay classified correctly for dogs that stay under your roof.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits are not income yetA deposit taken before a program starts is money you owe work for, not profit you have earned. Gus tracks the balance so your books, and eventually your return, reflect stays that actually happened.
- Employee or contractor kennel staffStaff who feed, walk, and train dogs on your schedule in your facility usually look like employees, not contractors, even if you pay them by the shift.
- Equipment for the kennelCrates, runs, and larger kennel build-outs can often be written off in the year you buy them, with Section 179 expensing available up to $2,560,000.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when deposits and staff pay are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions board-and-train programs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Food and treats for boarded dogs
- Bedding and enrichment toys
- Kennel runs and crates
- Cleaning supplies and disinfectant
- Liability and bonding insurance
- Facility rent and utilities
- Staff uniforms
- Waste disposal fees
- Marketing and listing site fees
- Continuing education for trainers
- Phone plan for client updates
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A board-and-train year, kept every month.
Programs run in two and four-week blocks. Your taxes come on a schedule of their own. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around your typical program calendar.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer's full kennel changed the number.
- October
Before winter slots fill
Holiday programs get booked ahead of the rush. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December and any deposits piling up.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for board-and-train programs. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions board-and-train owners ask first.
When does a program deposit actually count as income?
When the dog's stay begins, not the day the deposit clears. That keeps a busy month of deposit-taking from making your books look stronger than the training you have actually delivered.
I pay kennel staff by the shift. Does that make them contractors?
Not automatically. Someone who works your hours, in your facility, under your supervision usually looks like an employee to the IRS regardless of how you pay them. Gus flags this so it gets set up right.
Can I deduct the cost of a new bank of kennel runs?
Usually yes, often in the year you buy them. Gus logs equipment separately from regular supplies so the accountant can make the call on how it gets written off.
A client's dog stayed two extra weeks. How does that get booked?
As an extended stay fee tied to that program, separate from the original deposit and balance, so you can see it was additional work, not a correction to the original price.
My books mix personal and kennel spending. Can this still work?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it out, asking about anything that looks personal instead of guessing. Most owners are caught up within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever