Dear Valued Client,
Happy New Year! Hope this finds everyone as well as can be. I am
contacting you to provide details on changes that are occurring with The
Unconditional Canine. DON’T WORRY: I am not retiring! In order to serve my
current clients as best as possible and also be able to accept new training
clients on a more consistent basis, however, I have decided to make some pretty
major changes to how the business runs.
Here’s the scoop: I have received a pretty
amazing offer from a good friend, Bonnie Sullivan Sommers. Bonnie owns Chewie’s
Playland on 101a in Nashua. She has been requesting for years for me
to come offer training classes at Chewies, but I could never fit it in. Bonnie
and I have talked extensively and have drawn up a contract for me to start
training at her new Chewie’s location on West Hollis Street in Nashua. I will
be offering hourly lessons and behavioral evaluations approximately 5 days
a week at the West Hollis Street location. We also plan to set up a puppy
preschool evening or weekend class and an advanced distraction class for
adult dogs that are already trained on basics, but would benefit from more
training. I will have my own indoor training room and private office to do
sessions at Chewie’s. I will also have direct access to a large parking lot as
well as an entrance to the Nashua Rail Trail for outdoor training. There will
still be occasional in home evals offered for dogs that require it
specifically, but we will be trying to schedule as many sessions as possible at
the training center.
Benefits: The training center
will provide access to dog distraction, cats, kids, adults, vehicle traffic,
and outdoor activities when needed. This scenario will allow me to have a
staff for assistance when I need it. I am excited to announce that I will also
be able to start offering my in kennel residency training programs again. The
in-kennel training dogs will have access to day care, full-time staff, and
lots of practice training sessions during their stay. We will also
be offering single in kennel lessons to previously trained dogs, to
brush up on obedience while they are boarding at Chewie's.
As things develop I will be sure to keep everyone up to date of
what is being offered and when. Bonnie and her staff at Chewie’s are very
excited to have a trainer coming on board. I am very excited to finally be able
to offer more accessible appointments to my clients. All these years of my
training clients begging for more options will finally be happening!
Reasons: I started this business
in 1995 in Stamford, CT, where I was born and raised. I got certified as a
master dog trainer at a dog training school in Columbus, OH, and
after graduation, I started a training and behavior consulting business.
Over time, I began first pet sitting for some of my tough-to-handle training
clients. Then after working at Amherst Animal Hospital in NH, I acquired a few
dogs that needed extra loving medical care. From there, it was just
referral after referral, and the pet sitting business consistently grew to what
it is today. Though I have loved every minute of being able to provide a safe
haven for people to send their beloved dogs while on vacation or a business
trip, it has also become very obvious that the pet sitting factor has taken
over the majority of my hourly, daily, and weekly time. My training business
referrals keep calling on me, but I have gotten to the point that I cannot
offer enough of my time to satisfy that part of the business. This made me
sad and frustrated. Providing quality training lessons to help dogs be
better members of society is my passion and I'm not willing to let that passion
fizzle.
We have pondered many scenarios to be able to provide for the
demand. We considered hiring employees, but where we live and winter travel
issues made finding someone next to impossible. We considered trying to sell
our home and move out closer to Amherst. Unfortunately, due to current and
future circumstances, this is not a feasible option. I really enjoyed traveling
around to homes and doing private sessions, but the travel time and scheduling
that goes along with it takes up enormous amounts of time, that could be
spent training.
How this affects pet sitting: In
order for me to be able to accomplish this plan, I need to have less hours of
work at the house. That basically means cutting the numbers of dogs we allow to
stay here and also having some rules about which types of dog health
issues and behavior issues will still fit with the new schedule. We will no
longer be able to take on young pups that are needing to be let out every
couple hours for instance. A smaller number of dogs at the house will
allow for tremendously less time spent scheduling and transporting. Jeremy will
be helping out in the afternoon while I am doing sessions. I will still
offer transports from Henniker to Nashua but I may require people meeting
me at Chewie's to save travel time. Pick up in Henniker morning or evening will
still be an option. Please also keep in mind that you should now ask as
much in advance as you can for a reservation.
Boarding options : Chewie’s has agreed to try
to take on as many of my overflow boarding clients as possible. With the
addition of the new Chewie’s at 217 West Hollis Street ( due to open
early March) and the existing Chewie’s on 101A( 472 Amherst St suite 24), she can hopefully
accommodate the majority. Chewie’s is a wonderful facility with all-day day
care for all dogs, very little kennel time, and 24-hour staff in the building.
Bonnie previously worked at AAH with me as a vet tech and I can assure you
that your dogs will get the best of care. She offers a variety of different
scenarios for the overnight boarding to fit each dog’s needs. Chewie's has a
wider then average range of drop off and pick up times (7 am to 7
pm) which makes it a pretty convenient business to
deal with. And……. I will be around a lot to check on everyone who is
staying at Chewie's to make sure their transition goes well.
All previously scheduled boarding reservations with me will be
honored, so no worries there! I will be
taking time off from Chewie's for Feb(23-3/4) and April(19-29)
vacations in order to handle the already scheduled reservations and to
help clients through the two busy vacation weeks, since they are both so close
after this announcement. I will be also honoring my regular nightly
pricing($25) until April 30, 2018.
Starting May 1 the nightly
rate will go up to $30 a dog. For those scheduling with Chewie's,
Bonnie is currently offering a coupon for $10 off a day for your dog’s first
stay at Chewie’s, which is very generous of her. I have posted the coupon on
the Facebook page to print off. Please remember to take advantage of
that if you can. It will only be offered through March, I believe. You can
access her website to look at services she currently offers, as well as
download boarding forms and make reservations. Please be sure to read her rules
on vaccinations and other vet care required. The website is www.chewiesplayland.com.
Most important: I really want to
thank each and every one of you for being fantastic clients. I have always
thought it amazing how, over the past 20+ years, I have never had to publicly
advertise any of my business and have been blessed with a constant feed of new
clients. This has been mostly due to my incredible clients spreading my name to
friends and family. I will always be so grateful for those referrals. In
general, I have always felt like my clients are more like friends and family,
and that’s a wonderful way to feel as a business owner.
I know this news may cause some upset or panic. Believe me when
I say, I have been fretting over this announcement for weeks, but also very
excited about it as well. I hope that everyone will be able to take advantage
of the new options, and we will all adjust to the new business model together.
Again, please don’t hesitate to contact me via text 603-345-5562 or email Theunconditionalcanine@
Once I know that all my clients know the new plan I
will be announcing the adventure on Facebook as well as on Chewie's
page. Let me know how the new sign looks for The Unconditional
Canine on West Hollis! Slightly exciting for a business going from
no advertising to a road sign being passed by 15-20,000 vehicles a
day. Deep breath……….
