As a small business owner, who has at times been running the operation entirely on her own, I have found it challenging to have any true downtime. Even with the best laid plans, it is difficult to not get pulled into business matters for one reason or another. Being a tightly knit, family owned and operated business, it’s hard to separate myself. With other family members stepping into the business in the coming months, this will become more of a challenge for all of us.
In order to rest, recharge, and to enjoy much needed time together as a family and not just co-owners in a business, we have decided that we will build in 2-one week shut downs over the course of 2026. As well as one this Fall.
The Fall 2025 shutdown is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24th-Tuesday September 30th.
The future shutdowns will coincide with the end of Spring season, and before the Winter season.
BILLING:
Something we considered when we built our pricing structure was the inevitability of missed services. Whether it be due to forces beyond our control, or personal time off, we felt that if not in excess, it was within the industry standards to charge even in the event of a missed service. In this biz, your dog will still poop and we will still be picking it up on our next visit.
On the backside of operations, our fixed monthly pricing is set at a cost of what we would charge for 4 weeks of service to allow for occasional misses due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Essentially, building in a “free” week once a quarter to allow us to keep the pricing at a fixed rate for consistent billing and receivables.
This is handled a little differently for folks that have more than 1 service per week. In the event of a missed service, your base monthly rate will be charged, but you won’t be charged for any missed 2nd or 3rd stops.
KEEPING TRACK:
I always do my best to be fair about missed services, especially if they are due to something on our part or if they are excessive. We do keep track, and I am always open to discuss any questions or concerns with billing. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me.