Opinions on our kennel...

[GUNDOGS]

We are starting to build an 8 run indoor/outdoor climate controlled kennel building with office and 1 acre fenced in play/yard work area attached (4 runs on each side of the building) and we have picked out the dog boxes, enclosures and food/water systems, my hubby has drawn up blue prints for the bylaws to approve the permits and now i wanna talk flooring and want to ensure to keep the dogs IN the kennels..so what outdoor tops do you recommend on the runs outside?..we are thinking cement in and out with a gutter system for waste to be hosed down would be best but do any of you use other flooring in or out like say stone?..what about cement inside and half cement outside with some stone for a change of texture on their feet? also we were thinking of course grass in the play/yard work area with a large area of stone as well, just looking for some opinions or help from people who have had or seen kennels and can help us avoid mistakes ..we start building next month..i will also need help/opinions for a johnny house and pigeon coop..thanks...ruth

[topher40]

Ruth-
I have the kennels that you are looking at purchasing and they have worked fantastic for me. I am actually planning on buying 5 more. For the tops on the kennels I use cattle panels. 2 panels will cover 3 kennels and I havent had a dog escape yet. I would do all concrete in the kennels, inside and out. If you give a dog another place to do their business they will do it there, and its always the area that you dont want them to do it on! Good luck

[nikegundog]

Do you have the concrete finished smooth or not?

[GUNDOGS]

Do you have the concrete finished smooth or not?

We are doing a rough finish inside and out so we, as well as the dogs, dont fall/slip when it gets icy or wet..i thought about doing smooth inside but when we wear boots in and get the floor wet we can still slip so we went with rough in all areas......ruth

[nikegundog]

Thanks, I was thinking of building one myself and wondered what how people finished the concrete. I understand about it being slick when wet, but I would imagine it is a lot easier to clean the smooth finished ones.

[GUNDOGS]

Ruth-
I have the kennels that you are looking at purchasing and they have worked fantastic for me. I am actually planning on buying 5 more. For the tops on the kennels I use cattle panels. 2 panels will cover 3 kennels and I havent had a dog escape yet. I would do all concrete in the kennels, inside and out. If you give a dog another place to do their business they will do it there, and its always the area that you dont want them to do it on! Good luck

Awesome..im glad to hear they work out well, they sure seem to be strong and well built..cattle panels, i will google them to have a look thanks, i know tarping the tops would be no problem for the bird dog escape artists especially if a female is in heat..do you use a gutter system for waste or something else?..thanks for the info..ruth

[ChukarCountry]

For the tops on the kennels I use cattle panels. 2 panels will cover 3 kennels and I havent had a dog escape

Are dogs climbing out of kennels a real concern? I have always used a 6' tall kennel with my English Pointers and have never had a dog escape. Have I been fortunate to not have a dog escape out of the top of my kennels?

Thanks

[GUNDOGS]

Thanks, I was thinking of building one myself and wondered what how people finished the concrete. I understand about it being slick when wet, but I would imagine it is a lot easier to clean the smooth finished ones.

Our plan for cleaning is a powerwasher and a wide broom to push it all to the gutters, it should be ok for cleaning, they showed us the finish on a sample and its not too ridgid just enough to prevent falling/slipping, i think you would like it, when you pour talk to the concrete guys to suit your needs...ruth

[Dirtysailor]

I have been told by a pro with a 40 run setup, where my male is, that cattle panels will not keep climbers in. He showed me his setup and has the same panls on the top as the sides. He said GSPs are like mice if there heads gets through they can get through. Take it for what its worth but I know I was looking at the horse panels but they cost 3x what a cattle panels does at TSC. I am not sure what I am gonna do at this point I guess save more pennies.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

GunDogs,
Ruth your kennel engineering is sound the only suggestion I have, due to my experience with rough concrete and cleaning, is to have your kennel area finished smooth for ease of cleaning, make sure you have enough slope to your kennel concrete flooring to assure proper drainage. As you look at your building, make sure when you build your building that you have twice as many electrical outlets as you originally planned, indoor and outdoor both. Hot water is also a must, if you can afford a new instant hot water system with high pressure lines, & hoses its the way to go. Build a grooming area with both a shower and grooming tub, with clean out traps. I know this is all big money, however you can do some of it a little at a time to hold down cost. When we built our latest outdoor training kennel, because the area is so large 40 yard long X 25 yard wide, we decided to put the grooming station outside, I would engineer it, into the inside of the building if I had to do it again.
RGD/Dave

6' kennel pannels with large double doors in the shade of 100' shade trees. Don't forget to make part of your kennel shaded especially if you want the dogs outside
during most of the day. Kennel Pannels should set up at least 2 1/2" for ease of cleaning out your kennel.

[Ruffshooter]

Smooth floor, all concrete, not a polished floor just floated and steeled for a few runs just to even it out.
Seal it while it is green make sure to get it done according to directions and get a second and third coat on. You will be able to squeegy the floor very dry.
I would use a radiant heat floor system inside and out, run two zones. And use a glycol loop so if you loose power it will not freeze up and cause trouble.
If you are going to wash floors down into a gutter you need heat to keep all flowing and not freezing up your drains.
I assume you have a waste water sytem some where that you are draining to.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

Ruth,

I can understand the rough concrete on the outside but inside is a terrible idea! I would do a power trowel finish inside and a freson finish outside. You wouldnt want your garage floor rough would you. As s rule of thumb you never want tough concrete in doors it'd to tough to clean. Ruth we did about s million and a half dollars in flat work last year do I know a little about concrete!!!

[Vman]

From my own experiences here is what I have learned

Smooth as others have suggested. Then Stain and seal. Do not Paint.
It is of no value to heat the outside flooring. You live in Canada. Your heater will continuously run if you try and melt of the outside. The outside should be under roof.
Use the same panels on top as the side, as suggested.
Design the building so the snow does not slide off and into the exercise yard. If you do not you will need sloped concrete under each eaves with a gate at each end in your fence to push the snow out with a truck.tractor or bobcat.
In floor heat inside will dry your floor quickly in the winter.
No gutter outside. Just extend the concrete about two more feet. You will not be able to clean the gutter in the winter,but you can scrape the flat concrete.
If you are so concerned with the tops on the outside kennel you should be more worried about the dog going over the outside fence. Put up a hot wire on top to keep in the rascals.
Washed stone in the exercise area. 3/8-1/2.
Good dehumidifier.
Air conditioning.
You can wash the dogs inside over the drain/gutter if you need.But I have never had to wash a dog in the winter.

[RoostersMom]

I'm no concrete expert Ruth, but a friend keeps his setters on concrete that has been smooth-finished and it is slicker than dog snot. I have fallen several times when feeding his dogs in the winter for him. Maybe what the guys are suggesting is somewhere between slick and rough - but I don't care how hard it is to clean the rougher concrete if it saves me a fall or two. I'd visit with the guys on here a bit that have more concrete experience, I'm sure there is something in between that would be good for you.

My dream kennel will have troughs and a septic system and a heated inside floor and a bathtub/shower area for dogs - my sister has a "doggie shower" in her mudroom that is AWESOME.

p.s. I have two climbers, my EP and my GSP - we just used chain link panels to cover the tops of the runs.

[Vman]

I forgot something. If your dogs are inside, why would you need a dog house? Just something that is not needed and another thing too clean around, and not under.

[Ruffshooter]

Heating the floor is just to above freezing. You put the thermostat on the concrete and use a circulator pump. We have used it on side walks works well.

[Vman]

Heating the floor is just to above freezing. You put the thermostat on the concrete and use a circulator pump. We have used it on side walks works well.

For the record,, my outside runs are not heated. But I have seen sidewalks, and livestock slabs that were heated and the water had nowhere to go because everything around it was frozen. The heater will run continuously, even in the day.
If it works for you in Maine I would think it would work for anyone. But I have never been to Maine in the Winter. What I have seen, was in Wisconsin, and minus temps are fairly normal in Jan, Feb. Come March and you will have ice dams.

How about this,,, what is the purpose of heating the outside runs??
I have an exercise area that the dogs go out into a minimum of 5 times a day. So why does the dog need an outside run?
Not picking, just want the reasoning behind it because I don`t see it. Just wasted money to me.{winter}

[CowboyBirdDogs]

I would do rough concrete and stain it. I've busted it in my garage while wearing wet boots, it hurts. My back porch is rough and it's not too bad to powerwash and sweep if you get a nice commercial broom. And as stated above, put more outlets than you think you need, I'm an electrician and I can't tell you how often I have to go to a newer house, building, barn etc and add new plugs cause they put just enough plugs for what they needed, then needed more. Just do all quad plugs and pending on what you want in there, make sure they're on separate circuits. Post lots of pics and good luck!

[birddogger]

Some of you people's kennels sound nicer than my house.

Charlie

[GUNDOGS]

Wow, good info you all have ..we have the rough concrete idea inside and out to avoid us, people looking at dogs/pups and the dogs falling/slipping..what we chose so far is like a lightly raked finish or they also have like a grit finish, i actually think they throw sand on it, id have to ask hubby on that one but the concrete guys assured us it would be easy to clean with a power washer and wide broom..i asked my hubby about specifics on the waste system and he said the concrete will definitely be sloped to avoid standing water and he was thinkin each kennel will have its own drain that goes to the sewer and a Big-o pipe system under ground tied into that same line and the Big-o pipe will be installed around the entire kennel run area and stone will be covering it so any water will go through the stone into the pipe system to the sewer, any thoughts?..i am definitley considering all things and you have given me food for thought..this is going to be a HUGE expense so we wanna get it right the first time.. we also have an office, whelping and grooming area as well, the grooming area has a walk up tub (so we dont have to lift any dogs in) with extended shower head and a stainless steel grooming table for brushing, nail clipping (although on cement wont be necessary often), to give vaccines and do exams and treatments also a hose hook up to fill water dishes, and large sink for cleaning dishes ect.. i plan on the food and water dishes being inside so water dont freeze in the winter and less flies ect on the food.. first aid area with cabinets stuffed with emergency and whelping supplies, cleaning supply cabinets and dog food storage area..there will be a roof over the outside, with evestroughs that tie into the drain system but i definitley need the kennels enclosed to avoid escapees..the outside play/yard work area will be 6'ft chainlink but they will not be unattended in there, its for training and playing but when we are not there they will be kenneled..we also have many acres that will not be fenced in that we will be running them on and training them on but the fenced in area is mainly for younger dogs not as obedient, rescues that i dont know well enough to let run free, pups and for the dogs to all be out together in a controlled area..i wanted dog houses to be on the inside for the dogs to feel secure, like a den, and they can jump up on the flat top to lay down as well to be off the ground..i hadnt considered heating the flooring but can look into it more to decide..i think i covered everything suggested, any thing i left out or you want to give more advice on, feel free like i said this is a HUGE expense so any and all advice is appreciated, especially threw your trial and error to help me avoid the same issues..thanks...ruth

[windswept]

Ruth,
The plans sound great. On the inside of my kennel I also went with dog houses for the same reasons you have stated. I had them out of there within a few months for the same reasons mentioned in this thread, just somehing extra to clean out and around. I now use Kuranda beds and the dogs and I love them.
I like the look of the kennel panels with the food and water door. Can you shoot me a link to where you are buying them?

[GrayDawg]

For the tops on the kennels I use cattle panels. 2 panels will cover 3 kennels and I havent had a dog escape

Are dogs climbing out of kennels a real concern? I have always used a 6' tall kennel with my English Pointers and have never had a dog escape. Have I been fortunate to not have a dog escape out of the top of my kennels?

Thanks

If we're talking about 6' high kennels, depending on the area of the country- I don't think the concern should be as much about dogs jumping out, as much as it should be about big cats jumping in!

Rob

[GUNDOGS]

Ruth,
The plans sound great. On the inside of my kennel I also went with dog houses for the same reasons you have stated. I had them out of there within a few months for the same reasons mentioned in this thread, just somehing extra to clean out and around. I now use Kuranda beds and the dogs and I love them.
I like the look of the kennel panels with the food and water door. Can you shoot me a link to where you are buying them?

Kuranda beds, i will have to look at them, and i may rethink the dog houses, this is why i wanted to post for advice cause i would like to waste as little money as possible ..i like the panels with the food and water door too, that im sure about lol..heres the link to the place i think we are going to go with, there are a few we are considering but this one in ohio seems to be the best so far...ruth
EDIT: i had a look at the Kuranda beds, love them, they look like easy maitenance, any negatives with them?..thanks...

http://www.optionspluskennels.com/

[PntrRookie]

Ruth,
The plans sound great. On the inside of my kennel I also went with dog houses for the same reasons you have stated. I had them out of there within a few months for the same reasons mentioned in this thread, just somehing extra to clean out and around. I now use Kuranda beds and the dogs and I love them.
I like the look of the kennel panels with the food and water door. Can you shoot me a link to where you are buying them?

Kuranda beds, i will have to look at them, and i may rethink the dog houses, this is why i wanted to post for advice cause i would like to waste as little money as possible ..i like the panels with the food and water door too, that im sure about lol..heres the link to the place i think we are going to go with, there are a few we are considering but this one in ohio seems to be the best so far...ruth
EDIT: i had a look at the Kuranda beds, love them, they look like easy maitenance, any negatives with them?..thanks...

http://www.optionspluskennels.com/

FWIW I use the Kuranda beds too and love them...TK Products kennels, Kuranda beds and Dog Den 2 houses...all on concrete...obviously NOT a big operation, but it works!

DSCN2593.JPG

DSCN2594.JPG

[Vman]

he was thinkin each kennel will have its own drain that goes to the sewer and a Big-o pipe system under ground tied into that same line and the Big-o pipe will be installed around the entire kennel run area

I toyed with that idea also. But I did not want to deal with 16 drains that can plug. I went with a sloped floor to a center gutter that goes outside. Slopeing 8 kennels to a center drain will be expensive labor.

i hadnt considered heating the flooring but can look into it more to decide

Ruth, in my opinion the biggest mistake you could make, would be too NOT use infloor heat. It is the best heating source you could use. The floor is warm in the winter, the dogs come in with wet feet, {year round} and it will dry right up. The heat is where it needs to be. Down where the dogs are, not up on the ceiling. No forced air blowing hair and dust, and no chance of carbon monoxide. I heat my kennel with a hot water heater. We had a pretty tough winter last year and I went through about 250 gal of LP. The kennel is kept at 60 degrees in the winter. The office is 68 degrees. Best thing I ever done other than working for myself.

Kuranda Beds - I bought them and I really liked them. The dogs liked them also. But some dogs would go through them, including mine. If the dogs don`t wreck them they are great. But I got tired of constantly fixing them. I have a company near that made a pattern for me, so I could just go to town and get a replacement, but the $20 a pop got old.
Here is what I am using at this time. I buy crates whenever I see them for sale used at a garage sale. Usually for $20-25 dollars. Dogs like it and they are easy to clean around. Stand them up and hose them off when you clean the kennels.

DSCN0742.JPG

DSCN0744.JPG

Now bear in mind that over 1000 dogs come through here each year. You won`t have that much traffic. So it is only food for thought.

[GUNDOGS]

Really like that set up PntrRookie, are those dog houses really easy to maintain?..they must be and do you use any bedding in them?..no its not a huge set up but it sure looks like it serves its purpose, i really like it, thanks for sharing..ruth

[GUNDOGS]

Vman, thanks for the info and pics, a half a crate, now thats something i never even thought of, durable thats for sure ..good ideas..i will be talking with brian when he gets home about the heated flooring ideas..he installs heated flooring in kitchens and bathrooms for people so he should be quite knowledgeable about it..we get reaaally cold winters here so its definitley an option to consider and for the concrete gutter system can you explain a bit more what the steps were in building it, thanks so much...ruth

[Vman]

http://www.rockwoodkennels.net/enter.htm

Scroll down and you will see the gutter going down the center.
It is easy to clean, don`t clog and unlike drain pipe doesn`t stink. Every thing drains to the center.
There may be better options out there but this works very well and I would do it again.

[Birddog 307]

Ruth here is what one of our kennels looks like and it sounds like what you want to build. Interior concrete is smooth exterior concrete a light broom finish. Infloor heat in the kennel building itself but if you are in a high wind snow area you might think about heating the slabs under the outside runs. I could see where that would be helpfull if snow is always blowing under the covered area and you were always shoveling it out. I would use anti freeze in the outside system so that you would not have to heat the slab all the time. I imagine you would need two different water heaters so that you could use water in the inside one. I do not get that much snow just cold weather so I elected to only to the building. I went the dog house thing on the inside of the runs but now use the Kuranda dog beds which is a 100% better. I went with K9 kondo dog doors on our first kennel what a mistake. Our new kennel has the dog doors from gundog door house and these are 100% better doors. If you do not know why you can ask.



Birddog 307

[GUNDOGS]

Birddog 307 and Vman, thanks for the pics and ideas, they are both similar to what we are building, very impressive set ups, looking at the pics 2 other things i didnt think of is partitians between the kennels and steel roofing, so much to consider ..do you find you end up having leg lifting issues(peeing) on the next dog over or dogs fighting if you dont have partitians?..ive never had kennel dogs , only indoor dogs so this is all new and im learning alot here already, thanks again guys/gals i can really see this all coming together now.....ruth

[Vman]

The solid panels help keep dogs from going nose to nose and as you mentioned, peeing on the neighbor. Plus it keeps the monkey dogs from reaching into the neighbors kennel and stealing a rawhide.bone/ or treat. Just keeps things more civil IMO.
Birddogs kennel looks very nice. But as he mentioned he does not get the snow you or I do. His roof system would worry me here with the snow load that I get sometimes. You would want a steel roof IMO. The snow can slide off on a good day and not stress the building as much.
But as I mentioned earlier, if you look at my kennel, you will see the snow comes off into the exercise area. Avoid that at all costs if you can. In my case, the exercise area should have been on the back of the building so I would not have to remove that snow that comes off the roof, which will be wet and heavy when it comes off.
Face the outdoor runs to the South. The sun will melt most of the snow.
In regards to heating the outside runs,, that is completely up to you. You would not need two water heaters for the heating system, but you would need three Zones. Office,Kennel, outside runs. It would not cost you that much more to put the outside heating in. It would be there for you to use if you wanted, and you can turn the zone off if you found that you did not use it much. At least you would have the option.
If I did it all over again there would not be any outside runs. Just not needed. I Let the dogs out to go relieve themselves 5 times per day minimum all year round. It is a beautiful day here today and the dogs have been outside sunbathing since 7:30 am. They all just came in. It is now nap time and they will not need to go outside until late this afternoon. They will get let out again around 7:00pm for about 30 min. and again at 10:00pm for another 30 min. and we will call it a day.
Outside runs are nice if you are not around to let them out. It allows them to go relieve themselves when they want. But as you mentioned before, you have always had house dogs, 95% of my client dogs are house dogs. They seem to survive just fine without having to go outside in the run and relieve themselves. Why now all of a sudden do you feel that you need an outside run?
Again,, it is your setup and do what serves you best. But I will be enclosing my outside runs here in the near future. Rather than adding on, I will utilize my existing kennel space more wisely. If I enclose My kennel, will go from 15 kennels to 31 at a minimum cost. I just don`t use the outside runs. I don`t want the heat lose in the winter and the air conditioning lose in the summer. Plus in the summer mosquitos and other insects will drive the dogs nuts. Plus I don`t have to cleanup the outside kennels. I don`t want to give the dogs a place to go that it becomes 15 more runs that I have to clean everyday.
Plus I won`t have to clean the leaves out in the spring and fall and deal with birds nesting and driving the dogs nuts.

I do not mean to sound like I know it all. I am only telling you my own experience after 10 years of doing this. Like dogs, use what works for you. But you asked for advice and I am giving you food for thought and you can sort it out.

[GUNDOGS]

Vman, i for sure want all this info you are giving..this is great info..i think youre right with the steel roof idea, you dont find the noise of rain on the roof bothers the dogs? and i agree about which way to face it to melt the snow and to keep heat off the runs..we actually took that into consideration when choosing the site for building the kennel so thanks for confirming that as being a good idea, also good idea to have the roof slant to the opposite side of the exercise area, that i hadnt thought of so that sure helps out too..the reason im going with runs now is mainly cause i rescue dogs and sometimes they are dog aggressive and dont play well with others ..so until i have them for a bit and do aggression testing with them i dont know much about them, the high kill shelters i get them from give me some info but dogs change in different situations so i like to see for myself..right now i have 4 xlarge wire dog crates in my basement that they go in at first and are not loose in my home until i know they can be a part of the pack safely..its really a pain when i have to keep them seperated in the house and switch dogs room to room, cage to cage, outside to inside ugg..so having kennels will allow me to rescue more dogs and also have a safe place for them to be until i can bring them around my family and around the other dogs..i figured it will save on boarding a female in heat as well ($30 bucks a day for the week adds up), sometimes i end up with females not spayed yet and at my own cost i alter them so its not always right away but definitely before they are adopted out.. i will have 4 runs on one side and 4 runs on the other side and try to have females on one side and males on the other..also when we go on family vacations which is a few times a year to disney, upper canada ect our own dogs can stay in the runs as well and a relative/friend can come by before and after work to make sure all is well but not have to worry about getting them out to the bathroom on time, nor will i have to worry about them tearing things apart if im out for the day..i also just would prefer my own dogs to be in the kennel area if i will be gone for the hole day especially in the summer/fall and spring to enjoy the weather rather than be in a crate in the kitchen..any other suggestions you or anyone else has feel free to help me out, i really do appreciate this...thanks...ruth

[Vman]

i for sure want all this info you are giving..this is great info..i think youre right with the steel roof idea, you dont find the noise of rain on the roof bothers the dogs?

It doesn`t seem to be an issue. But I have{and strongly suggest that you do also} have 1/2 or 3/4 hard board insulation under the steel roof. Be sure to insulate under the overhang above your outdoor runs also. Keeps it much cooler in the summer, and if you ever wanted to enclose,, the roof is already insulated.

I understand now why you want outdoor runs, and it makes perfect sense.

[Vision]

Who is the manufacturer of these kennels? Does someone have a link to their website?

[GUNDOGS]

Who is the manufacturer of these kennels? Does someone have a link to their website?

heres the link to the kennels im getting...ruth

http://www.optionspluskennels.com/

[Fair Fields]

I have Options Plus kennels and they are NOT GOOD. Mine are less than 3 years old and all need replaced. Some are rusted out from my male peeing onthem, but others are just rusting from regular spraying with the hose. Mine are under roof and still in terrible shape. I will never buy them again. Just my opinion....

[Fireside]

if you are gonna breed, roofs, mesh or cattle panels on top is an absolute MUST. If you have girls coming to your stud dog, you certainly don;t want to explain to an owner that "she got out and disappeared" or "she climbed over the top into the pen with the wrong stud". We had a bitch come 3 separate times that we called "Houdini". She would go over almost anything, the only thing that ended up stopping her was a hotwire around the top that she wouldn;t go over.

[GUNDOGS]

if you are gonna breed, roofs, mesh or cattle panels on top is an absolute MUST. If you have girls coming to your stud dog, you certainly don;t want to explain to an owner that "she got out and disappeared" or "she climbed over the top into the pen with the wrong stud". We had a bitch come 3 separate times that we called "Houdini". She would go over almost anything, the only thing that ended up stopping her was a hotwire around the top that she wouldn;t go over.

Yes, us females will climb mountains if we see a stud we like ....ruth

[Wildweeds]

You'll know it when you get one that don't like being in stalag 17, My pointer could jump and clear a 6 foot kennel without a running start,I fixed his red wagon by buying a 6x12 chainlink panel and 4 more clamps,he'd jump and hit his head on the roof.He wasn't all that smart either because he did the jump up and hit his noggin for years after the install.

For the tops on the kennels I use cattle panels. 2 panels will cover 3 kennels and I havent had a dog escape

Are dogs climbing out of kennels a real concern? I have always used a 6' tall kennel with my English Pointers and have never had a dog escape. Have I been fortunate to not have a dog escape out of the top of my kennels?

Thanks

[Ryman Gun Dog]

GunDogs,
Ruth Fair Fields just advised you of what some of my clients have experienced, about Plus Kennels, they are fine inside but rust badly when kept outside in the elements,
especially here in Pa. There is a reason my Kennel is built out of expensive triple coated Chain Link with gavenized tripple coated poles and Gates. My kennels is completely outside where the snow, rain and dirt work on it on a daly basis, also dog urine has no effect on my old time kennel, as with some of the newer kennels. It has been outside sense 1960, with very miner touch ups.
RGD/Dave

The old 1960 galvenized triple coated Kennel, outside in the Pa mountains.

[GUNDOGS]

RGD, do you think it will still be an issue with a roof over the kennels?..i know the roof wont stop all rain and snow but it will stop alot of it.. i already bought them so i hope it will be okay .....ruth

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Gun Dogs,
I respect you way to much to sugar coat this, Fair Fields gave you your answer in his truthful post, his kennel is under roof and rusting badly.
Up in Canada this kennel is probably going to degrade pretty quickly, even with a roof on it. If you can not return the kennel, you have some serious work to do,
recoating your Kennels with Rustolum zink type Paint, even after this the kennel may rust from the dog urine. I would ask Fair Fields to post some pictures you might copy and use to show this kennel company what is really happening with their product, then maybe they might take their kennel back and return your money.
I sure wish you would have posted this thread prior to buying the kennels. The one great thing about these forums, is that people relate their actual experience with
many of the dog products, including kennels. There is a reason I post pictures of my outside mountain kennel, I hope by showing it others who are building see what to purchase when building a kennel, this stuff is incredibly expensive today.
RGD/Dave

[larry]

I am in upstate New York and have Mason kennels, both indoors and out. Out door have no roof over them. Have had them about 22 years now and still in very good condition.

[GUNDOGS]

I am in upstate New York and have Mason kennels, both indoors and out. Out door have no roof over them. Have had them about 22 years now and still in very good condition.

I had a look at them, very nice set ups.. if you dont mind me asking how much would it be for 8 runs? thanks...ruth

[windswept]

For kennels I have always just used the local guys that put up residential chainlink fences. They make them custom to my specs and they seem to last forever in the South Dakota elements.