How to Make a Sanitary Kennel
With A Septic System
Northland Outdoors (May 1995)
For dog owners, there’s nothing more
detestable than having to clean up after their pets. A dirty kennel
not only looks and smells bad, it also can be a breeding ground
for numerous insects and bacterial
and fungal
growths. But a carefully designed septic system can
eliminate those problems and probably will make your hunting companion
happier as well.
Before considering whether to put in a septic
system, an owner needs to find out if the soil will ensure proper
drainage. “If you have heavy clay soil, don’t put it
in,” says Carl Altenbernd,
Sabin, Minn., dog trainer and breeder. “Heavy clay does not have
the ability to absorb water. It only will create a saturation problem.”
Loamy or sandy soil provides the best drainage. The local Natural Resource
Service should be able to tell you if the soil is suitable, and some offices
even will
send someone out to inspect the site.
After an appropriate site is chosen, the next
step would be to pour the concrete kennel run. A 4- foot- by- 10-
foot floor (4 inches thick) with
concrete
blocking allows for easy washing and scrubbing. A 2- foot- by- 6- foot
gutter is installed
at the base of each run. This gutter will be able to carry material from
a hosed-down kennel floor to the sewage system.
The sewage system should consist of a large
galvanized garbage can, set inside a hole, with approximately 2
inches sticking out of the ground.
The sewage
tank should have: • A 6- by 4- inch inlet hole that allows access
from the gutter.
• Half-inch holes drilled down its side and its bottom cut out.
• An attachable 4-inch perforated sewer distribution pipe that is placed
inside a trench
that measures 6 inches wide, 10 feet long and 2 feet deep. A rental
company trencher works nicely for this job.
Clean rock should be placed around the can
and on the bottom 12 to 18 inches of the
trench, beneath the pipe. Six more inches of rock, a layer of hay
or straw and newspaper and soil backfill should be used to cover
the
pipe.
Solid materials will settle in the tank, while
the water will flow through the precut tank holes and into the distribution
pipe, where
it will settle
into the
soil.
The biggest advantage of this system is that
you eliminate kennel urine and stool byproduct smells, but more
importantly, bacteria
and parasite
problems.
He says
a galvanized can will last on the average 10 years and costs only
about $10. He says one septic system can handle about five kennels
and needs
to be cleaned
out only once a year. Altenbernd recommends cleaning a kennel run
at least twice a day.
“The biggest limitation is that it won’t work in the winter, because
everything’s froze up, but to get rid if urine or smelly fecal materials
the rest of the year, it’s the answer.”
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