Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Marsden.
Gill and Andy Marsden own the kennels which are on 3 acres in Richmond Texas. Located about 2 miles south of the FM 1093/FM 723 RD intersection near Cinco Ranch/Katy. Gill has been grooming dogs in the area since 2006.
Andy – please share your story with us.
After being asked numerous times for recommendations for dog boarding kennels in 2011 we started looking for a location to build some boarding kennels. We purchased our current location in 2012. There was an existing RV/Boat house on the property that we converted into a state of the art facility. Initially starting with 36 kennels which soon grew to 40 kennels in the main building and an additional 6 larger kennels in a separate building. We are a smaller facility and this allows to us to pay extra attention to all dogs that board at the facility. We have now been open 5 years and service mainly the Richmond/Katy/Cinco Ranch areas.
Has it been a smooth road?
Construction of the facility took a bit longer than we expected, along with permits for the septic system etc. It also takes time to build up the client base. Fortunately with Gill being established in the grooming industry we had a good start with a client base. As we have become known the business has grown well with many customers referring us to their friends. Andy left the corporate world in May 2016 to join in running the kennels full time.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kyalami Kennels – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Being a smaller dog kennel we have the advantage of getting to really know all of the dogs that come and board with us and can quickly tell if a dog is not settling well or whether we need to be putting out an older dog or younger dog more frequently than we do in our normal set routines. We offer daycare, full grooming and board dogs of all sizes. We realized we needed to add some larger kennels (6ft tall) for some of the larger breeds we board such as great danes and went ahead and did that. What sets us apart is we offer excellent service, very reasonable upfront rates with no additional costs for giving medicine, walking dogs, play time etc, it’s all inclusive. The kennel are air-conditioned as well as heated depending on the season and we have installed a UV system into the airflow to minimize any airborne contaminants. The Kennels are all raised off the ground and have built in drainage systems so wash out really easy and are kept extremely clean. The Kennel also has its own septic system. We poop and scoop all of the outside areas to make sure we minimize any possibility of dogs getting sick when they come and board with us.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The whole Greater Houston area is growing so quickly. There are advantages and disadvantages to that. Primarily traffic congestion is becoming a major issue. Where we live on the West side there is a lot of work being done to improve that with the West Park Toll way extension being built to minimize the frustration of daily commuting. It’s a very diverse population and with the oil and gas industry lots of international people in the area. It’s fun meeting all of these people in our daily work and their dogs that in many cases have traveled all around the world with their owners.
Contact Info:
- Address: Kyalami Kennels LLC
FM 723 RD, Richmond, Texas 77406 - Website: kyalamikennels.com
- Phone: 281-394-5162
- Email: boarding@kyalamikennels.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyalamiKennels/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kyalami-kennels-richmond
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Margaret Hamm (Flores)
June 22, 2017 at 12:39 am
Wow. Great article. Congratulations. What a dream job.