OT - doggie daycare dilema

[DogChic]

What would you do?

originally this woman called a few months back ... wanting to bring her 3 month old wheaten pup in for daycare. Told her he cannot come until he is neutered & up to date on all vaccines. "Well he's not neutered yet." --- "Then he cannot come to doggie daycare." ---- "Well what am I supposed to do?!" ... this went on and on and on.

Then she disappeared for a bit.

Came in a couple weeks ago ... wanting "Just a bath". I do not do "just a bath" on 1st time clients ... especially on a wheaten who has never had a haircut ... his face was shaved from nose to eyeballs from his 1st "puppy package" elsewhere. She could not comprehend this ... I explained until I was blue in the face.

Disappeared for a bit again.

Calls again a few days ago for daycare - he's been neutered, UTD on shots, etc. OK - we do trial. very good boy. His hair however, is out of control - very very long - she is brushing & combing OK - but not armpits, between back legs, etc. I talk w/her about this - doesn't hear it - "I'm thinking he'll need a haircut in the spring - I like him shaggy"

#[email protected]!???. He's getting quite messy playing w/other dogs. Then, it rains for 3 days - outdoor doggy play yard is a bit wet. We of course towel dry him, but he's wet, muddy. Then she really freaked out - didn't want to put him in her car ... didn't want him jumping on her. Wanted me to bathe him @ 5:15 when she picked him up.

What should I do? I'm not sure she'll even come back now, which is fine w/me. But this is doggie daycare! he will play w/other dogs, maybe even get a little dirty. I'm almost thinking of telling her that our daycare may just not be the right fit, although I LOVE the pup, just not mom! what to do?

[pooh13]

down state I worked very breifly a petsomething that had doggie day camp for those clients that wanted a bath before they went home it had to be pre-scheduled as for the bath and brush and no hair cut that shouldn't be a problem if she pre-booked it but I would charge her for a full grooming even if there is no trim maybe you can convince her to let you shave the armpits and sanitaries do feet etc .if she says no don't cut her a price break as she is not cutting you one from the sounds of it.a wheaten is not a bath dog and should be brushed fully, hair cut or not its still time consuming explain to her whats included in the price and it is based on breed and no discount is given just because it does not get a hair cut.IMO

[4Sibes]

Truthfully...I don't blame her for not wanting to put him in her car, or have him jumping on her if he was wet/muddy.
I think the only solution for that...would be if you have the time, and she has the money (not alot...just something nominal) the dog should at the very least be rinsed off and dried before he's picked up.
My bottom line when I ran the kennel...was don't EVER send a dog out that door in any less condition than you would permit it to jump on your bed in.

Now...that being said, your last sentence...appeals to me the most. This just doesn't sound like a good fit, and he may be better suited for an indoor-only facility.
The owner is obviously not receptive and I see a future of non-stop headaches and "going in circles" discussions for you. I have little tolerance for that in my old age.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Truthfully...I don't blame her for not wanting to put him in her car, or have him jumping on her if he was wet/muddy.
I think the only solution for that... I have little tolerance for that in my old age.

I have to agree with this. If I had an old messy junker clunker truck or something, (with king cab), I might put the dirty doggies in there, but I would not let them in my house in that condition. And since I don't have a junker clunker truck, they wont be going in my car!

Did she know that the dogs played outside, and could get muddy?

Tammy in Utah

[DogChic]

thanks for the replies -

yes, I would have no problem doing a bath before he goes home - however - it seems as if he will be coming to doggie daycare DAILY, & this is just an unrealistic hairstyle for him to have if he's to be playing w/other dogs - Unrealistic all around, and for many other reasons, but especially playing w/a group of dogs for 8+ hours per day.

Plus, he was dry when he went home, but admitidly, a bit dirtier than when he arrived. I just don't see it working out ... sadly ... b/c this is a dog that needs excercise, socialization & I don't think mom has a clue.

[SwissNChow]

Regardless of how nice the dog may be, if he is cutting into your income, you are better off holding that spot open for a different dog. Tell her simply that in order for him to come, he must be put on a regular grooming schedule to keep his coat in "group play" condition. Otherwise she can't expect you to groom him inexpensively on muddy days. If she isn't interested, then let her go find somewhere else. A Wheaten is just not a wash and wear dog, nor a once a year dog either. Very quickly his condition is going to set a very bad note for your business, and he is going to cost you way more than he is bringing in.

[padalin]

dirty doggy daycare

I’m the groomer at a boarding/grooming/vet/daycare/training facility. Our day care is out door also and we have roughly 60-80 dogs every day. They all stink. Every single one of them including my own.
There is nothing you can do about it most of our daycare dogs get baths every week (including mine) and that’s that. Unfortunately a lot of my grooming dogs are also day care dogs and they get just baths ( I don't do just baths but our animal care techs do as I don't have time to just do baths) then when it comes time to get groomed they are matted messes. I don’t feel like it is my responsibility to be everyone’s pet "owner" it is up to them when they go home and are dry to brush them out. If they come to me matted because they go to daycare all of the time then they have to be shaved it usually only takes one time to get the point across. If they want to have a long haired dog that plays with other dogs it’s going to be stinky and need its hair brushed end of discussion.

I do have one Wheaton that comes to me and they want her to look like an OESD she was seriously like 8 inches long all over this summer when they took her to a lake for vacation, let her run all over and get covered in burrs then waited a month before they brought her back.. SO I shaved her. Now they religiously bring her every 5 weeks. I don’t mind keeping her hair that long but its THEIR responsibility to take care of THEIR dog if they want her to look like that.
I charge 15 dollars for every 15 minutes of de matting so most people don’t want to pay that extra fee more than once. As long as you are firm and polite about your pricing and policies and most people are pretty receptive.

[Dawn125]

Why not just be honest with the owner and explain it to her? I have never had any experience with doggy daycare but I have to admit that I wouldn't be interested in having my dogs at a daycare that will cause them to get muddy. Not that I'm afraid of dirt or think my dogs are too good to get dirty. It's just that it would be an inconvenience.

[DogChic]

yes .... she knows the dogs go outside. I have a large attached fenced grassy play area - it's also very obvious to see this yard from the front of the building/parking area. it's basically a small dog park. dogs go out in groups about 5 times a day for 10-15 minutes.

sorry, but daycare dogs just do not always go home spotless. I've never had an issue w/this, but I do also understand that some people may NOT ever want to deal w/muddy paws - (it does ocassionaly rain over my daycare yard...) so I will be sure to mention in the future to potential daycare clients.

[dogdaycare]

@SwissNchow; I agree what you say .....

[Particentral]

sorry, but daycare dogs just do not always go home spotless. I've never had an issue w/this, but I do also understand that some people may NOT ever want to deal w/muddy paws - (it does ocassionaly rain over my daycare yard...) so I will be sure to mention in the future to potential daycare clients.

They go home clean from my shop. I don't have but 10 at a time but if they get dirty here they get cleaned up. I feel the same way about boarding dogs. They get a bath after they have been here for 2 or 3 days. At the very least I would have rinsed his feet off and dried them.

ANother thing, I can see dogs over a certain age (6 months) needing to be nuetered but not before then and I still take them as daycare clients before that age.

[DogChic]

They go home clean from my shop. I don't have but 10 at a time but if they get dirty here they get cleaned up. I feel the same way about boarding dogs. They get a bath after they have been here for 2 or 3 days. At the very least I would have rinsed his feet off and dried them.

ANother thing, I can see dogs over a certain age (6 months) needing to be nuetered but not before then and I still take them as daycare clients before that age.

thread revisited I guess ....

My daycare dogs do not go home filthy ... I generally have a group of about 6 that play all day. some come everyday - it is unrealistic for me to bathe 6 extra dogs every day ... I wipe off paws if needed & that's about it. It was more the fact that this was a wheaten in a "trim corners of eyes only" haircut - not appropriate for all day play w/other dogs... I'm not brushing & bathing that after every daycare visit unless she wants to pay for it.

So in conclusion, she did not come back! and this was an issue I didn't want to deal with anyway ... and haven't before or since then

as far as not being neutered/spayed on under 6 month puppies - I am beginning to reconsider - it has been policy for me for 3 years, just because I felt it made things less complicated. But in hindsight, sometimes younger pups are able to more quickly adapt to daycare than older dogs & there is definitely a need for it. any more thoughts on this???

[HoundLover]

well i would definatley be lenient on the spay neuter puppy thing. but ONCE they hit 1 yr of age they NEED to be neutered/spayed to come back. we had this issue with one daycare i worked at. the owner of the daycare would allow one lady who had a ridgeback who WASNT neutered....she allowed his owners to bring him back (he had been coming since he was a pup.) well...apparently a female shep. sliced open his ear while playing when they were both pups. well it happend AGAIN because he wasnt neutered, and cornered the shepherd and kept bothering her. id seperate them and shoo him away and he kept doing it. well lo and behold someone was bleeding and it took me awhile (after checking about 30 dogs to see who was bleeding!) to find out it was him. owner was PO'D. but ya know what...stuff happens. we had one lady with a pit not come back after her dog rolled over and she saw some teeth marks on his chest area....but ya know what dogs play rough!!! honestly we cannot be everywhere at once. and yes people DID get dogs that were stinky back. i mean comeon they are rolling around on a floor that is mopped with cleaner, it was that black rubber flooring..yes there are dirty dogs that are romping around. people should expect to get a dirty dog back!!! and we only washed dogs if the owner requested them to be bathed. and after we bathed them they stayed in the grooming area until they were picked up. that was that.
Hound

[dogma]

DogChic...I would respectfully like to answer this....Hang in there with me.

First...It sounds like this woman REALLY WANTS to HIRE YOU!!!! She has called THREE times!!

Remember, clients pay our bills....without them we couldn't pay our mortgage, electric bills or go to dog shows.

Clients are the reason that we are in business....without them we would have to work somewhere we might not like as much.

It can be hard at times to own a business as you have many 'bosses' each day. Each client is your Boss....and we try to make each one happy.

Now...with that said, it doesn't mean I take a lot of guff. Just as they have the right to hire me, I have the right not to work for them. The Boeing Company may want to hire me, but I don't want to work for THEM!

Okay....so....is it possible for you to hire someone to just brush out and bath/rinse off dogs?

If so, consider this. You start them at miniumum wage. All they have to do is brush out and bath/rinse dogs before they go home.
Dogs that are brush daily won't take any time at all to brush, even a full coated Wheaton.

It is reasonable to say that dogs that are brushed daily won't take more then 15 minutes daily. Now, say you have 4 people that want to take advantage of your "deluxe package". And say that you charge a small fee for this....maybe 5 to 10 dollars daily.
You have just made 20 to 40 dollars extra that day....in a week, if all 4 want the daily treatment, you have made 100 to 200 dollars and at the end of the month you have made FOUR HUNDRED to EIGHT HUNDREDS dollars extra!
(and remember this is an hours worth of time for your employee, who is getting minimum wage...imagine what he could do in 2 or more hours!)

It is also reasonable to believe that the Lab, Beagle and Short Hair cut dogs would want this service too. Those dogs would take even Less time to do...a Lab that is furminated daily won't take any time at all...now you may have 6 to 8 dogs daily that want your "deluxe package"...well...You do the Math.

You now have clients that LOVE you because their dog is always fresh and clean when he comes home...he is always brushed and pretty...they just have to enjoy their dog...and they don't have to get a lecture from the "Doggie Day Care Lady" that they aren't "Brushing well enough"

Happy clients spread the word and you will soon have more dogs then you know what to do with.

So, instead of thinking of this client as a pain, think of her as extra income. Give her the chance to hire YOU. And who cares that this puppy isn't in a Wheaton trim....if he is brushed daily, it won't matter. And your going to have your employee brush him daily.

I know more then one person that doesn't take their dog to Day Care because their dogs come back smelly and icky. One friend said she really liked the idea of Day Care, and her dog enjoyed it, but she just didn't like that her dog came home "Smelling like dog spit".
She would have been a life time client if only her dog smelled nice so she could cuddle him while watching TV each night.

Trust me, people aren't going to brush their own dogs. That is why I started a combout program at my shop many years ago. They come in, get brushed, go home. A few dollars for me...happy dogs...happy owners....which in return makes owners that have only good things to say about me.

Just for fun, how about giving her a call and making her an offer. "Hey Mrs Rose, I've been thinking. How about if we rinse off Buster each day so he isn't muddy when he goes home...and I'll even toss in some brushing to keep him nice and fluffy just the way you like him. I can do that for only 8 dollars extra a day. How does that sound?"

Jump on the boat cause your about to make a boat load of bucks.

namaste...dogma