What an incredible time this is for all of us. The feeling of love that comes from achieving a dream is unlike any other feeling. We are just finishing spring break. The RSM facility was packed with vacationers. Our staff have been battling the human flu that is going around so many staffers have been doing double shifts and coming in on off days. I always worry about the strain on our employees but they all say they love coming in and seeing their favorite dogs. It makes it all worth it for them. Many of them even stop by on their regular days off or come by to visit the Tustin location. Our website states we are all a family affair at Wags & Wiggles. I never felt this statement was more true than in the last couple weeks.
I personally keep a love file. This is a collection of all our wonderful client emails that remind us why we do this and work the long hours. I just took some time to read the most recent ones and it made me so happy we decided to open the Tustin location. The RSM facility set the example and now Tustin is following in it's footsteps like a small puppy. It means we can reach out to even more people and dogs to help improve the quality of everyone's lives.
The Tustin facility just ended it's second week. We finished up with 20 dogs boarding and 35 dogs overall on Friday. We've already hired and started training more staff. It's so wonderful to see how dedicated the new staff already is to the well being of every dog here. They are constantly asking me and Lysa questions about behavior, activities, health and more. They want everything to be perfect. We are putting the last finishing touches on the facility. The last of the scenic painting is being done, touch ups on the floor, central vac and watering systems, and finally our training center. We have had 100s of calls on when our agility, puppy, and obedience classes will be starting. We are finally getting closer. Classes should start end of May. We are also interviewing for additional trainers to our facility. We are pretty choosy. They must be fluent in the art of positive attitude and reinforcement for our human clients as well as clicker training for our doggie clients. For now, Lysa and I will be teaching the classes but we look forwad to our apprentices getting their wings and starting to teach soon as well. Julia, Ranaye, Jenny, and Lisa are still teaching at RSM and doing a fantastic job! Thank you to everyone!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Obedience Class Superstars
We have all kinds of classes that you can take with your dog here at Wags, and I just wanted to take a moment to talk about my recent class graduates. A few weeks ago my Wednesday night class graduated from Level 1 obedience. Everyone in that class worked really hard throughout the 5 weeks and it showed on graduation day. We had a few dogs living with kids, and the kids came in to be a part of class and learn how to work with the dog too.
Then, just yesterday, I had two great classes graduate, one Level 1 and one Level 2. In Level 2, the class was very advanced and the owners skilled with their dogs. On graduation night we were "leapfroggin" through the parking lot, weaving around one another, and every dog was able to come back to their owner from across the room, even while being tempted with treats or a ball. The graduates were Dash the chocolate lab, Bosley the bearded collie, Ember the aussie, Corby the standard poodle, Kirby the golden doodle, Apollo the chow mix, and even little Chloe the aussie mix, who is only 4 months old. Her mom really got lucky with that dog.
Right after that class our Level 1 class graduated. We had two cavalier brothers who couldn't get enough of each other, Freddy and Albert, and their wonderful owners who are good friends. We also had our training apprentice, Paige, with her border collie Soda, and a recent rescue from the Irvine Animal Shelter, Louie the pit mix and his incredible parents. The great thing about those two is that Paige also works at the shelter and was the one who adopted Louie to his owners. Louie's owners are the model of what a good dog owner should be like. They took notes in class, asked great questions, and did a ton of homework. Louie was a totally different dog on night 5 than when he started. Paige and I are so proud of their efforts and are really happy that Louie got such a wonderful home.
We have a lot more classes available all the time, so if you're looking for a way to connect with your dog and gain some mutual understanding of each other, check out our class schedule.
Then, just yesterday, I had two great classes graduate, one Level 1 and one Level 2. In Level 2, the class was very advanced and the owners skilled with their dogs. On graduation night we were "leapfroggin" through the parking lot, weaving around one another, and every dog was able to come back to their owner from across the room, even while being tempted with treats or a ball. The graduates were Dash the chocolate lab, Bosley the bearded collie, Ember the aussie, Corby the standard poodle, Kirby the golden doodle, Apollo the chow mix, and even little Chloe the aussie mix, who is only 4 months old. Her mom really got lucky with that dog.
Right after that class our Level 1 class graduated. We had two cavalier brothers who couldn't get enough of each other, Freddy and Albert, and their wonderful owners who are good friends. We also had our training apprentice, Paige, with her border collie Soda, and a recent rescue from the Irvine Animal Shelter, Louie the pit mix and his incredible parents. The great thing about those two is that Paige also works at the shelter and was the one who adopted Louie to his owners. Louie's owners are the model of what a good dog owner should be like. They took notes in class, asked great questions, and did a ton of homework. Louie was a totally different dog on night 5 than when he started. Paige and I are so proud of their efforts and are really happy that Louie got such a wonderful home.
We have a lot more classes available all the time, so if you're looking for a way to connect with your dog and gain some mutual understanding of each other, check out our class schedule.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
It was our 4th day of business today! Our numbers of dogs has been wonderful. Wednesday, we had 21 dogs. Not bad! Our new staff is doing a great job. They are doing tons of cross training. At some points they are tugging with dogs in the back, interviewing new clients, or building the new play equipment. Everyone is being so supportive and working great as a team. Lysa and I have been working a lot of hours trying to balance a million tasks at once but it sure is easier the second time around. Lysa's parents have been great. They became master dog bed builders, window washing experts, and fed us good lunch each day. Al, my dad, has been busy building the rest of the kitchen items we need (like bins to feed all our guests during boarding) and organzing the construction crew to finish our gates. We will have our first boarding dogs this weekend and we are excited! Chris, my mom, has set up all the books and banking needs....what a relief!!! Wags RSM Staff have been incredible to keep our spirits alive there during the Spring Break. We are constantly asking to borrow or use this or that and need client's info faxed over. I sure miss the RSM STaff and can't wait to come back in a week. Thanks for helping us make this journey so wonderful!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
It's Finally Here!
It's hard to believe but the Tustin Location is finally opening. Our Grand Opening Party is Sunday, March 30th and we will be open for business the following day (Monday, March 31st). This week has been a crazy mad dash to the finish line. We've had every contractor working on top of each other this week to get everything done. Flooring, Phones, Computers, Fire System. Electrical, Carpenters, & Air conditioning workers were all in warp speed. Our General Contractor really made this project happen on time. We weren't even sure today whether we would get inspectors approval but we did. It was meant to be. Our sign goes up tomorrow and then it will really look official around here. There is so much still to be done and I'm sure we will still be tinkering on things for at least a month. However, the play areas are done and ready for some dogs to come have some fun.
My poor husband has been worked over. He even had to sleep in our RV outside the building for a week before the alarm system had been installed. Thank goodness the building is now secure and he can come home to sleep. He's had to juggle so many hats and jobs and still deal with me and Lysa breathing down his neck. My dad, the first W&W Tustin employee hired, has been a machine. He's helped put together 40 kennels with some help from Ian & Justin from RSM wags (Thanks guys!). He's lost 20 pounds since the project started!
People have already stopped by trying to drop off their dogs. The response is truly amazing. We are happy to report that now all the residents of Irvine will have a little Wags & Wiggles in their lives. We are expecting about 600 people at the Grand Opening Party. It's gonna be a good time. We have several reporters coming down for the event and even Joel Silverman from Animal Planet is stopping by.
We look forward to seeing everyone, meeting all the new Wags family, & becoming a part of the Tustin/Irvine community. Thank you for your support form the bottom of our hearts.
My poor husband has been worked over. He even had to sleep in our RV outside the building for a week before the alarm system had been installed. Thank goodness the building is now secure and he can come home to sleep. He's had to juggle so many hats and jobs and still deal with me and Lysa breathing down his neck. My dad, the first W&W Tustin employee hired, has been a machine. He's helped put together 40 kennels with some help from Ian & Justin from RSM wags (Thanks guys!). He's lost 20 pounds since the project started!
People have already stopped by trying to drop off their dogs. The response is truly amazing. We are happy to report that now all the residents of Irvine will have a little Wags & Wiggles in their lives. We are expecting about 600 people at the Grand Opening Party. It's gonna be a good time. We have several reporters coming down for the event and even Joel Silverman from Animal Planet is stopping by.
We look forward to seeing everyone, meeting all the new Wags family, & becoming a part of the Tustin/Irvine community. Thank you for your support form the bottom of our hearts.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Updates, Good Times, and Good DOGS!!
Well, first let me say that we really are sorry that it has been so long since we posted. It’s been crazy here and we do hope to write more often about what’s going on here at Wags.
Today was chilly and overcast but boy, the dogs sure remind us that gloomy is in the eye of the beholder. What a fun day we had. Casey and Callie the shepherd mix twins are here boarding with us. It is always such a pleasure to see them. They did our board and train program but live so far away we only get to see them occasionally. They were ripping it up today chasing their friends and playing ball. Scout the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Nemo the Pittie Mix were bouncing from play group to play group. They are equal opportunity playmates…they love everyone!! In the middle of the room Harry the Jack Russell Terrier was chasing Roxie the Aussie. She wasn’t trying very hard to get away, but enjoyed the game. Then there was Tally Husky and Barkley the Lab. They were wrestling and having a grand ‘ole time. Tally got Barkley down and part of her victory dance was to sit on him victoriously. What a riot.
Ally the Shepherd Mix (AKA “Alley Cat”) got to see her best friend Jake (AKA “Little Jake”) the Lab. These two are inseparable and look more like a tornado than two dogs playing. Dakota the Lab was playing tug with anyone that would play. First he was tugging on a nylabone with Bailey the Black lab. Then he was tugging on a big jolly ball with Bunker the bulldog. Next it was a kong with my Lab, Guinness. In the middle of the room Bonita the Husky was lounging in a chair and Kodiak her brother was poking at her trying to get her to play. She was supervising from up high and didn’t have time for him. Poor Kodiak…but he found a friend in Sage the Lab (“Sagey Poo”).
When I went out in the afternoon Maggie the Rottie Mix and Luna the Lab were laying on the sidewalk. They were both upside down, side by side, and nibbling on one another. Spooning and playing…that’s what it is all about!
In the Land of the Little it was anyone’s game! Raisin, Ricky, and Rosie (“The Triplets”) were sleeping in beds by the window. They just got a bath and it must have just worn them out! Sienna the Shepherd Mix was a few beds down chewing on a toy. Thumper the All American and Dakota the Labrador puppy have discovered that they love each other and barely took water breaks in between wrestle matches. They should be nice and pooped tonight! We are very proud of Meadow the Aussie’s progress. She is a rescue and very apprehensive. Today she roamed the entire room and almost played with Riley the Sheltie. She’s really coming along and learning that the world isn’t as scary as she thought. Yeah!
The trainers kept busy today with our 17 training dogs. Believe it or not that is slow for a Thursday! At any point you could see me, Ranaye, Julia, Jenny, Lisa, or Laurie working a dog in the lobby, Kennel room, Play area, training center, and even the RSM Lake.
For those of you patiently awaiting the opening of our new location…it’s coming along! The walls are painted, the air conditioners are going in…It almost feels real. We will be having an open house for all our current and future Wags Families before we open. We are hoping for one of the last 2 weeks in March and we promise to keep you posted.
As always, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entrusting us with your furry children.
Today was chilly and overcast but boy, the dogs sure remind us that gloomy is in the eye of the beholder. What a fun day we had. Casey and Callie the shepherd mix twins are here boarding with us. It is always such a pleasure to see them. They did our board and train program but live so far away we only get to see them occasionally. They were ripping it up today chasing their friends and playing ball. Scout the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Nemo the Pittie Mix were bouncing from play group to play group. They are equal opportunity playmates…they love everyone!! In the middle of the room Harry the Jack Russell Terrier was chasing Roxie the Aussie. She wasn’t trying very hard to get away, but enjoyed the game. Then there was Tally Husky and Barkley the Lab. They were wrestling and having a grand ‘ole time. Tally got Barkley down and part of her victory dance was to sit on him victoriously. What a riot.
Ally the Shepherd Mix (AKA “Alley Cat”) got to see her best friend Jake (AKA “Little Jake”) the Lab. These two are inseparable and look more like a tornado than two dogs playing. Dakota the Lab was playing tug with anyone that would play. First he was tugging on a nylabone with Bailey the Black lab. Then he was tugging on a big jolly ball with Bunker the bulldog. Next it was a kong with my Lab, Guinness. In the middle of the room Bonita the Husky was lounging in a chair and Kodiak her brother was poking at her trying to get her to play. She was supervising from up high and didn’t have time for him. Poor Kodiak…but he found a friend in Sage the Lab (“Sagey Poo”).
When I went out in the afternoon Maggie the Rottie Mix and Luna the Lab were laying on the sidewalk. They were both upside down, side by side, and nibbling on one another. Spooning and playing…that’s what it is all about!
In the Land of the Little it was anyone’s game! Raisin, Ricky, and Rosie (“The Triplets”) were sleeping in beds by the window. They just got a bath and it must have just worn them out! Sienna the Shepherd Mix was a few beds down chewing on a toy. Thumper the All American and Dakota the Labrador puppy have discovered that they love each other and barely took water breaks in between wrestle matches. They should be nice and pooped tonight! We are very proud of Meadow the Aussie’s progress. She is a rescue and very apprehensive. Today she roamed the entire room and almost played with Riley the Sheltie. She’s really coming along and learning that the world isn’t as scary as she thought. Yeah!
The trainers kept busy today with our 17 training dogs. Believe it or not that is slow for a Thursday! At any point you could see me, Ranaye, Julia, Jenny, Lisa, or Laurie working a dog in the lobby, Kennel room, Play area, training center, and even the RSM Lake.
For those of you patiently awaiting the opening of our new location…it’s coming along! The walls are painted, the air conditioners are going in…It almost feels real. We will be having an open house for all our current and future Wags Families before we open. We are hoping for one of the last 2 weeks in March and we promise to keep you posted.
As always, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entrusting us with your furry children.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Wags & Wiggles 2008
I just realize that it has been 6 weeks since I posted on the blog! Geez! Things have been going great though! We just completed our busiest holiday season ever with tons of wonderful sweet dogs staying with us and celebrating the new year with us. We also have celebrated several employee anniversaries with us. Some of them have worked for us for 4-8 years. We also have some great new staffers that love working with your dogs. They have also managed to acquire some of their own dogs: Ashley just adopted Ember and Katrina just adopted Copper. Both dogs were in the aussie rescue program. We are getting a new rescue puppy this weekend, a catahoula/aussie mix. We plan to post pics soon and start looking for a permanent home.
The new location is slowly moving forward. Permitting is taking FOREVER!!! Nothing is wrong, it's just the process. We now plan to open March 2008. We have had so many inquiries and believe me we want to be open as badly as you do. However, we also want everything to be up to code, safe, and since we are using so many state of the art products it will take time to install these things. We hope (fingers crossed) to start a whirlwind construction phase in the next couple weeks and have more pics to post.
Meanwhile, our training center has been so busy and we've been able to work with so many great clients. Our board/train and dayschool program has been booking solid. Ranaye and Jenny both got their certifications this month, congratulations!!!! They are taking over Sat classes. We also had some great clients doing private lessons to improve greeting guests, walking on leash, and some dog-dog reactivity problems. We have a feisty fido group class starting in February. SAMLARC and W&W are teaming up again this February for the Dog Day Afternoon event to be held in RSM. This will be a great agility event and more for local residents. We are also offering Real Life Manners, CPR CLASS, Musical Freestyle & more.
The new location is slowly moving forward. Permitting is taking FOREVER!!! Nothing is wrong, it's just the process. We now plan to open March 2008. We have had so many inquiries and believe me we want to be open as badly as you do. However, we also want everything to be up to code, safe, and since we are using so many state of the art products it will take time to install these things. We hope (fingers crossed) to start a whirlwind construction phase in the next couple weeks and have more pics to post.
Meanwhile, our training center has been so busy and we've been able to work with so many great clients. Our board/train and dayschool program has been booking solid. Ranaye and Jenny both got their certifications this month, congratulations!!!! They are taking over Sat classes. We also had some great clients doing private lessons to improve greeting guests, walking on leash, and some dog-dog reactivity problems. We have a feisty fido group class starting in February. SAMLARC and W&W are teaming up again this February for the Dog Day Afternoon event to be held in RSM. This will be a great agility event and more for local residents. We are also offering Real Life Manners, CPR CLASS, Musical Freestyle & more.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
It's Official!
On Tuesday, Nov 13th the city of tustin passed unanimously to approve the Wags & Wiggles, Part Deux project in their city. They stated that they were extremely impressed on how we presented our project and alleviated any concerns about a dog business entering their city. We have been through this process before in the City of RSM since in our history we have moved once and expanded 3 times. It definitely gets easier after you have done it a few times but it was a GREAT feeling to have surpassed this hurdle in the project. This means we can now start construction and feel like we are progressing. It has taken 2 years to find the perfect location. Then it took over 5 months of negotiating with the building owner and going through the proper channels at the city to get approval. We have a great construction guy lined up ready to get started.
We are sure that things will get hectic now as we tear down walls, build new walls, install new flooring, install over 10 air conditioning units (just imagine that cost on that alone...sheeesh!), paint, build play equipment, build kennels, install web cams & computers, and start the hiring process. We plan to start interviews the first week of December. We will be running a few ads to hire staff but if you are interested, now is the time to submit applications.
We already have close to 500 people on our grand opening list. Check out the website for how to get on that list. We have people waiting to come from Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport, Fullerton, Anaheim Hills, Corona, & More. We have gotten so much positive feedback about how they have been waiting for Wags & Wiggles to come closer to their homes and workplaces. The hours at the NEW Location only will be extended to 6:30pm. We have not yet set a price schedule but we will have that up shortly. Many people have been asking about classes at that location and we expect to have those available by March 2008. I will be moving some of my advanced agility classes down to that location since the space is twice as large. However most of the current instructions, staff, and classes will remain at the RSM Location. We remain just as committed to our current RSM patrons. The RSM location is the original and will always remain our "baby".
Dave, my hubby, is so giddy right now he's like a kid. He's can't wait to get his hands on tools and build, build, build. My dad is giving notice at his job this week in preparation for coming on board in December. Lysa is tying up loose ends to make sure Julia, Ranaye, & Jenny are prepared to run the training center and help me like she currently does. They are ready for the challenge and they are more than qualified than take over. Lisa McFarland is joining the training team so that will be a little confusing for you all for awhile.....Lisa is replacing Lysa. Wow! We couldn't have made that more confusing....eh! Lysa is going to catch up on her sleep because as co-owner she will be at the new facility 7 days a week for quite some time ensuring everything goes smoothly.
And me? Well I'll be in the bahamas.....not just kidding. I'll be frantically racing back and forth attending to the needs of everyone, clients and staff. I often can't sit still or get a full nights sleep cuz I always gotta be doing something and this should certainly keep me busy for quite some time. We look forward to posting many day by day details over the next few weeks so this blog will be busy. Check back soon.
We are sure that things will get hectic now as we tear down walls, build new walls, install new flooring, install over 10 air conditioning units (just imagine that cost on that alone...sheeesh!), paint, build play equipment, build kennels, install web cams & computers, and start the hiring process. We plan to start interviews the first week of December. We will be running a few ads to hire staff but if you are interested, now is the time to submit applications.
We already have close to 500 people on our grand opening list. Check out the website for how to get on that list. We have people waiting to come from Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport, Fullerton, Anaheim Hills, Corona, & More. We have gotten so much positive feedback about how they have been waiting for Wags & Wiggles to come closer to their homes and workplaces. The hours at the NEW Location only will be extended to 6:30pm. We have not yet set a price schedule but we will have that up shortly. Many people have been asking about classes at that location and we expect to have those available by March 2008. I will be moving some of my advanced agility classes down to that location since the space is twice as large. However most of the current instructions, staff, and classes will remain at the RSM Location. We remain just as committed to our current RSM patrons. The RSM location is the original and will always remain our "baby".
Dave, my hubby, is so giddy right now he's like a kid. He's can't wait to get his hands on tools and build, build, build. My dad is giving notice at his job this week in preparation for coming on board in December. Lysa is tying up loose ends to make sure Julia, Ranaye, & Jenny are prepared to run the training center and help me like she currently does. They are ready for the challenge and they are more than qualified than take over. Lisa McFarland is joining the training team so that will be a little confusing for you all for awhile.....Lisa is replacing Lysa. Wow! We couldn't have made that more confusing....eh! Lysa is going to catch up on her sleep because as co-owner she will be at the new facility 7 days a week for quite some time ensuring everything goes smoothly.
And me? Well I'll be in the bahamas.....not just kidding. I'll be frantically racing back and forth attending to the needs of everyone, clients and staff. I often can't sit still or get a full nights sleep cuz I always gotta be doing something and this should certainly keep me busy for quite some time. We look forward to posting many day by day details over the next few weeks so this blog will be busy. Check back soon.
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