For commercial boarding kennels & facility-based doggy daycares

Controlled Viewing Readiness Pack

A practical way to decide whether customer viewing fits your facility routines. Work through the zones, team process, customer communication and connectivity before applying for a free pilot or planning a wider rollout.

Check pilot eligibility Review privacy responsibilities

The principle: controlled reassurance, not an always-on webcam.

Customer viewing should be designed around suitable dog-care moments, clear team ownership and privacy-conscious placement. Your facility decides whether access is offered, when viewing windows run and when they need to be paused. Cameras do not replace welfare checks, staff supervision or your own operating procedures.

1. Start with the right camera zones

Map suitable viewing areas before discussing camera numbers.

Use this as a first pass. A site review should confirm the final placement, angles and exclusions.

Potential customer-viewing zones

Individual kennel runs or bays where the view can be kept useful and limited.
Outdoor exercise runs where the angle does not show neighbouring property or public areas.
Supervised indoor play or daycare areas, where access can be paused for unsuitable activities.
Other care areas only where the purpose, framing and customer view are clear to your team.

Normally exclude from customer viewing

Staff rest rooms, changing areas, toilets and other private staff spaces.
Reception, payment points, access-control screens and areas that reveal customer information.
Public highways, neighbouring homes or angles that capture more than the kennel needs.
Isolation, treatment, grooming or sensitive care areas unless your own assessment supports a tightly controlled purpose.

2. Give the team a simple operating routine

A short staff briefing prevents avoidable surprises.

Assign an owner for the process before launch, then rehearse what happens in a normal busy day.

Briefing checklist

Explain the chosen zones, the reason for each one and the areas customers must not see.
Agree the standard viewing windows and the situations where access should be paused.
Name the person or role responsible for changes, customer questions and technical escalation.
Show staff the customer-facing wording so expectations match the service delivered.
Record any concerns about welfare, routines or privacy and adjust the plan before go-live.

Useful team rules to agree

Do not promise constant viewing or use camera access as a substitute for care checks.
Pause or restrict viewing where routines, welfare, privacy or an incident makes that appropriate.
Use the agreed customer-support route; do not ask staff to diagnose an animal from a viewing query.
Keep customer access credentials and operational controls with authorised people only.

3. Set customer expectations before their stay

Make the service feel considered, not unrestricted.

Describe camera access as an optional reassurance service with clear limits, not a live welfare-monitoring promise.

Tell customers what to expect

Whether camera viewing is included or offered as a paid add-on, and how it is booked.
The normal viewing windows and that the kennel can adjust or pause them where needed.
Which areas may be visible and why some moments or spaces are unavailable.
How to ask a question, without implying the viewing feed is an emergency contact channel.
Any rules your terms set on sharing, screenshots or recordings.

Keep the promise operationally realistic

A useful viewing experience is one your team can run consistently. If a customer-viewing model is not right for a particular area, a staff-only camera setup may be a better fit.

Explore staff-only kennel cameras →

4. Make the arrangement visible

Use signage and notices that match what actually happens on site.

Use these as prompts for your own approved wording, privacy notice and site layout.

Entrance or reception prompt

Camera notice: Selected dog-care areas are covered by cameras. Customer access, where offered, is managed by the kennel and is not available in every area or at every time.

Include your operator contact details and point people to the appropriate privacy information.

Staff-area prompt

Team reminder: Customer viewing is limited to approved zones and windows. Pause access or speak to the duty manager if a care routine, welfare issue or privacy concern needs it.

Place the prompt where staff can see it during handovers or before entering camera zones.

5. Treat privacy as a site responsibility

The kennel operating the cameras needs to make the privacy decisions.

Hardware and access controls can support responsible use, but they do not create compliance by themselves.

Important: this pack is not legal, licensing or data-protection advice.

Review your own purpose, camera placement, access, signage, notices, retention arrangements and staff information for your site. Get independent professional advice where needed. Do not describe any system as “GDPR compliant” unless you have made and documented the assessment required for your own operation.

Practical privacy questions

What is the purpose of each camera, and is the view no wider than necessary?
Who can access live viewing or any footage, and how is access controlled?
How will staff, customers and visitors be informed in a clear, site-appropriate way?
What are the relevant retention, security, data-sharing and incident procedures for your setup?

Useful official starting points

Read the ICO guidance on video surveillance and, for licensed boarding kennels, the relevant DEFRA statutory guidance.

Use them alongside your own policies and advice—not as a substitute for a site-specific review.

6. Check the practical setup

Confirm connectivity before promising a customer experience.

A pilot application can identify risks early, but your team knows the everyday constraints of the site.

Connectivity checklist

Test the existing broadband or Wi-Fi signal in each proposed camera area, not only in reception.
Identify dead spots, thick walls, outbuildings and outdoor areas that may affect the connection.
Confirm suitable power, mounting routes and safe cable paths before installation is planned.
List existing CCTV, network equipment or internet restrictions the review should take into account.
Agree who can provide access to the router, relevant rooms and site contacts for any survey.

What to bring to a pilot review

A simple site plan or photos showing kennel blocks, runs, play areas and staff-only spaces.
Your likely customer-viewing zones and any areas your team already wants excluded.
Known connection issues and any preferred operating hours or quiet periods.
The decision-maker or a named person who can confirm operational, privacy and budget priorities.

7. Plan a calm launch

Give your team customer-ready words before the first viewing window opens.

Adapt these short messages to your own service terms, privacy information and actual operating hours.

Booking confirmation

Optional camera viewing: During your dog’s stay, you can choose our managed viewing option for short check-ins at selected times. It is designed for reassurance; our team remains responsible for routine care and welfare checks.

Day-of-stay message

Your viewing access: Your access is available during the times shown in your booking. We may pause access while we care for dogs, protect privacy or manage the kennel safely. Please use [your contact route] for booking questions.

Try controlled viewing at your facility, free for 30 days.

Apply for the free one-camera pilot at your eligible commercial boarding kennel or facility-based doggy daycare. We will review likely customer-viewing zones, privacy exclusions, an operating-window model and connectivity questions before confirming the pilot is a fit.

Check pilot eligibility

Need cameras for your team only? Explore staff-only kennel cameras.