Best Dog Daycare Booking System: What to Prioritize in 2026
The best dog daycare booking system tracks real-time kennel or play-group capacity instead of a shared calendar, flags expiring vaccination records automatically, gives pet parents a self-service portal for reservations, and bills recurring day-care packages without a separate card reader bolted on. For daycares shopping in 2026, the realistic short list is Franpos, Gingr, Time To Pet, and Kennel Connection — PetExec is no longer taking new customers after its late-2024 acquisition by Togetherwork, the same company that owns Gingr.
What Should a Dog Daycare Booking System Actually Do?
A general appointment-booking tool treats every reservation the same way. Daycare software has to think in capacity: how many dogs can safely go in a given play group or run today, based on staff-to-dog ratios and physical space, not just how many slots are open on a calendar. Beyond that core job, look for:
- Live capacity and staff-ratio tracking per play group, run, or room — so front desk staff can't overbook a group past what's safe or licensed.
- Vaccination and document management with automatic expiry alerts, ideally enforced at booking so a lapsed rabies record blocks check-in.
- An owner-facing portal or app for booking, rebooking, waitlists, and updating vet or emergency contact info without a phone call.
- Package and membership billing for punch cards, monthly unlimited plans, or prepaid day blocks — the pricing model most daycares actually sell.
- Payments built in, not bolted on, so checkout, tips, and retail add-ons (food, treats) run through the same system as bookings.
How Do Gingr, Time To Pet, and Kennel Connection Compare for Dog Daycare Booking?
Gingr is purpose-built for boarding and daycare. Its Play plan runs $169/month ($142/month billed annually) and covers day reservations, capacity and staff-ratio tracking, and training add-ons; the Stay plan ($179/month) adds overnight boarding. Gingr's PreCheck lets owners finish intake and vaccine paperwork from their phone before arrival, and it can send automated photo/note "report cards" by text or email.
Time To Pet was built first for pet sitters and dog walkers, and it shows: its Facility plan ($79/month flat, plus a $10/month add-on to enable texting) covers daycare, grooming, and boarding scheduling and billing, but it's lighter on daycare-specific capacity or kennel/run tracking than Gingr or Kennel Connection. It's a reasonable fit for a small daycare that also does a lot of one-on-one pet-sitting or walking visits.
Kennel Connection is the longest-tenured player in this space, with more than 5,000 customers and both cloud and on-premise/hybrid deployment options. It includes two-way SMS, text-to-pay, and customizable tracking for feedings, medications, and exercise. Pricing isn't published — it's quote-based — though independent estimates for comparable kennel software commonly land in the $50–$150/month range for a single location before add-ons.
Is PetExec Still a Safe Pick for a New Dog Daycare?
Not for a new signup. Togetherwork — Gingr's parent company — acquired PetExec in November 2024. PetExec has since stopped onboarding new customers and directs new inquiries to Gingr instead. Effective September 1, 2025, Togetherwork also added a new 1% gateway fee on total PetExec transaction volume for businesses that haven't migrated, with migration webinars actively pushing existing PetExec customers onto Gingr. If you're currently on PetExec, budget for a migration in the next year or two; if you're shopping fresh, it's not an option worth evaluating.
When a vendor stops signing new customers and starts adding fees to nudge existing ones toward a sibling product, that's a migration notice, not a feature update.
Dog Daycare Booking Software Compared (2026)
| Platform | Starting price | Capacity/ratio tracking | Payments built in | New customers? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franpos | $199/mo flat, single location | Yes — reservations with run/capacity management | Yes, ~2.63% interchange-plus, no monthly/PCI fees | Yes |
| Gingr | $169/mo (Play), $179/mo (Stay, adds boarding) | Yes, purpose-built | Yes | Yes |
| Time To Pet | $79/mo flat (Facility) | Limited — stronger for sitting/walking | Yes | Yes |
| Kennel Connection | Quote-based (~$50–$150/mo est.) | Yes | Yes (text-to-pay) | Yes |
| PetExec | Existing customers only, +1% gateway fee since Sep 2025 | Yes (legacy) | Yes | No — redirected to Gingr |
How Should You Prioritize Features When Choosing?
- Capacity and ratio logic first. This is the one thing generic scheduling tools get wrong — confirm the system actually enforces staff-to-dog ratios per group, not just a headcount limit.
- Vendor stability second. Ask directly whether the company has been acquired, whether it's still onboarding new customers on the plan you're buying, and whether pricing has changed for existing customers in the last 12 months — the PetExec situation above is exactly the scenario to screen for.
- Built-in payments over integrations. A bolted-on card reader or a separate payment processor means two support lines and two monthly bills when something breaks at checkout.
- Package/membership billing that matches how you actually sell daycare — punch cards and monthly unlimited plans, not just single-day charges.
- Room to add grooming or retail later without switching systems, if there's any chance you'll expand services.
- A real owner app or portal, since most day-to-day booking volume should come from parents self-serving, not your front desk answering the phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best booking system for a dog daycare?
For most single-location daycares, Gingr and Franpos are the strongest picks: both build in real capacity/staff-ratio tracking and payments rather than treating daycare as generic appointment scheduling. Franpos is the better fit if you also run grooming, retail, or a membership program on the same site since those run on one login instead of a separate add-on. Time To Pet suits a smaller daycare that's also heavy on pet-sitting or dog-walking visits, and Kennel Connection suits an operator who wants an on-premise/hybrid deployment option instead of pure cloud.
How much does dog daycare booking software cost?
Expect roughly $80–$200/month for a single location once payments and daycare-specific features are included: Time To Pet's Facility plan starts at $79/month, Gingr's Play plan is $169/month ($179/month with boarding), Franpos is $199/month flat, and Kennel Connection is quote-based but typically comparable. Multi-location, extra staff logins, and add-ons like texting or eCommerce push the total higher on any platform.
Is PetExec still available for new dog daycares?
No. PetExec stopped accepting new customers after Togetherwork's November 2024 acquisition and now routes new inquiries to Gingr. Existing PetExec customers also picked up a new 1% gateway fee on transaction volume starting September 1, 2025, with active migration pushes toward Gingr.
Do I need software that also handles grooming and retail?
Only if you actually offer those services or plan to soon. If daycare and boarding are the whole business, a daycare-specialist tool like Gingr or Kennel Connection is a fine fit. If you sell food and supplies, run a grooming add-on, or want memberships and marketing on the same system, an all-in-one platform like Franpos avoids running three separate tools with three separate logins and bills.
Can one system handle both daycare drop-ins and overnight boarding?
Yes — Gingr's Stay plan, Kennel Connection, Time To Pet's Facility plan, and Franpos all cover daycare and boarding in one system. The differences show up in how well each tracks day-use capacity versus overnight room/run assignments, so confirm the demo covers your actual daily mix, not just boarding.
See how Franpos handles daycare reservations, capacity, and payments in one system on the daycare & boarding page, compare plans on pricing, or book a demo to see it against your actual daily group sizes.
