47 years?
Some days it seems that way!
Seven years. That's 47 in dog years. That's how long we have been doing what we love: hanging out with dogs. I remember the day that Kyle came home and had trained one of his first dogs. He went on and on about how this worked, this didn't and he started writing a training plan. The excitement was palpable. What we didn't know it what that excitement would turn into. The idea of a dog daycare in an area where there weren't a lot of those was, well, risky. We had young children, we had just moved and we didn't know what we were gettting ourself into.
We are part of a world wide group that is for Owners of Dog DayCares and the number one question new people ask is "what should I know about starting a daycare or boarding facility?" Here are a few of the answers we have compiled over the years:
Be prepared to work harder than you have at any job. I do mean ANY!
This is a 24/7 position and some days you spend a lot of time mopping, other days you may spend a lot of time reading, but everyday you have to have top notch customer service-no matter what kind of day you had.
It is most definitely NOT just petting puppies. (this always makes us laugh when people say it)
The stress is harder because they are living breathing beings and you have to watch them very carefully.
We worry when we learn of a dog who is sick and cry our hearts out for a dog who has passed.
Our children have been raised with all of you as their family too - you actually know a lot about them and we love that!
You better LOVE it. Not just like - LOVE it. With every fiber of your being, because the moment you don't it becomes really hard to show up everyday, and once it becomes hard, it doesn't get easier! Lucky for us, it's pretty easy.
It has been a rough year for BrightDogs. We didn't know it at the time, but Kyle was very sick for more than (we estimate) 2 years. He stepped away from training, he quit opening and closing because it was too much and he started to consider what would happen if he couldn't get better enough to run the business. We were fortunate that we found a person who was willing to help him, work with him and adjust when he needed to. We had to close our doors for some time to allow us to not only do some much needed repairs to the physical but also the training side of our staff who were relatively new.
I don't say this to be simple, but this business is all about what you put into it. You have to work harder than any job you have ever had to make it GREAT. We know we can do good. But we don't want good, we want GREAT. So we are climbing up that hill to try and offer you better. We were honored to be voted One of the best - but let's face it, we want to be the BEST again. We are all of #Yourslikeours. Each and every one of you make a difference in our days and in our lives and that was never more apparent than this year. So thanks for sticking by us and allowing us to have a tough year. We promise it was worth it. Cuz we are back baby, and we will be better than ever. So much for the seven year itch! Bring on year 8!
We are honored each day you choose us to take care of #Yourslikeours. Thank you for letting us be a part of their lives and yours. Thank you even more for being a part of our lives.
Peace, Love and puppy kisses,
Diana
Some pics through the years:
