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Have you ever been just dog tired?? Well let’s just say I know now how our guests feel after they go home from their doggy vacay and their owners send me their pictures past out asleep from all the fun and excitement they have had while they stayed with us. I get it, I am there. Lol June and July have been utterly AMAZING, and OVERWHELMING all wrapped in one! We have had a total of 72 guests in June and 84 guests in July to stay with us and it has been so much fun getting to know all of our new customers and reconnecting with past guests as well. I truly do love getting to know each one of you and talking with you about your trips when you come to pick up your dog. We may not have been on any trips lately, but I have a lot of new places I would like to add to our bucket list! 😊
As we all know this year has just been totally off the wall crazy!! I do not know about y’all, but I am ready for 2020 to go! I can honestly say I will remember the year I turned 50. Quarantined, face masks, social distancing are words that will always be associated with 2020. Although we do not know what each day will bring, I do know that we need to put our trust in the Lord each day and he will see us through. 37 years ago, today my dad passed away and I can always remember my mom wondering how we would ever make it without him. The days after you lose someone are not ever easy. You wonder how you can go on, but you do and you make it and you realize things you thought were important are really not and the things that you thought weren’t important are. Life is always full of ups and downs, happy and sad, but life is a beautiful thing. So, as we move forward to the end of the summer and schools starting back and we face the new normal and if you have days that you just don’t know how you will ever make it. Remember to always pray and trust in the Lord. He will listen, it may not be right away, but he hears you. Of course, we also have our dogs, and they can make every day better!! As always thank you so much for letting me be a part of your dog’s lives. You will never know how much I appreciate you helping our small business by letting us care for your dogs while you take a break from whatever is a normal routine these days! Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Hope everyone stays safe and well! We hope to see you and your fur baby in the country soon!! Charlotte P.S. A reminder that we will be closed next week Aug. 10 -13 (Time for me to go see my momma!) and Sept. 21-30. 😊
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My mom seemed to remind me the other day that it had been awhile since I had written any thing for a blog post, but to be honest I have not really known what to write about. There is so much going on in the world we live in right now and I don’t know about you, but it keeps my head spinning! You don’t know what is true and what you should believe, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and in my opinion this world has just gone crazy!! But at least we still have dogs!! 😊
Three months ago, when all this pandemic started no one knew what the next day would bring. Businesses were shut down, people were stuck at home, you could not do anything or go anywhere except to buy toilet paper which I will NEVER understand that one! Trips got cancelled, therefore no one needed us for boarding. But we managed to make it through, yes I worried, that’s just human nature, sometimes ok maybe a lot of the time I tend do enough worrying for Danny and I both and maybe a few more people.. (mom says I get that from my dad) and 9 out of 10 times I worry for nothing!!! I prayed daily that things would get back to normal and well I think we are about as normal as we can get with a full kennel for the next several weeks and a waiting list for certain weeks! Makes my heart happy! I genuinely appreciate each and everyone one of our customers! During all this we had several customers that went ahead and payed for future boarding, and some let their dogs come and stay even though their trip got cancelled! So, you see there are still good people in this world!! One thing I have learned from all of this is that a dog is one of the few things in life, that is exactly what it seems, and they love us unconditionally no matter what!! Here is hoping the next 6 months of 2020 is full of lots of hugs and plenty of dog love!! Have a great day and hope to see you in the country soon!! Charlotte “That Is One Good Thing About This World... There Will Always Sure To Be More Springs.” L.M. Montgomery
One week ago, today we were preparing for one of our busiest weeks so far for 2020. We were fully booked with 20-24 dogs everyday for a good 10 days, with a waiting list in case we had any cancellations. Everyone was so excited Spring Break was finally here and trips were happening everyone was ready to get away and take a break from the everyday routine. And then BAM.. You probably know the rest of the story.. but here it goes.. the cancellations started.. I would get a text or a call “ hey we have decided not to take our trip or our trip has been cancelled so we are going to need to cancel our boarding for next week.. Ok that’s fine thank you for letting me know I would say. Then I would go to the waiting list and contact someone, and they would say ok great we will be there! I thought everything was going to be good! Until the ones on the waiting list started cancelling. Then the calls started coming for dates in April needing to cancel. I would then text Danny and say we have had another cancellation; he would say do not worry it will be fine like he always does! Small businesses are privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships that have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular sized business or corporation. Small businesses contribute to local economies by bringing growth and innovation to the community in which the business is established. We are a small business. Have we lost revenue because of the impact of the coronavirus of course.. do I worry about the next few weeks of course.. is there anything I can do about it.. NOPE. Although we did not have a full house like we expected this week, and not sure what April is going to bring, but we did have several that did stay with us and for them I am forever grateful, and for the ones that did have to cancel some have already made their reservations for when they do get to take their trip. The world is a scary place right now, I get that, but as we go into the weeks ahead not knowing what to expect I can only be thankful for our small business and all of you who have supported us since we began this adventure. So YES, we are still OPEN! With a lot of you at home during this time I know how much your dogs are loving that (they may be a little confused and wondering why their daily nap schedule is messed up lol), but if you feel you need a break from them or they from you 😊 bring them out and let them stay a day or two, there is nothing better than some fresh country air!! (and luckily our guests don’t need any toilet paper!) I do ask that if you are able to try and support the small businesses in Warren County. Whether it be buying a gift card to use later or picking up some food to go. I know the owners would greatly appreciate it. We will get through this just take it a day at a time! As my mom always says nothing good or bad lasts forever and we know our mommas are always right! I hope everyone stays well and is washing their hands!! Hope to see you in the country soon!! Charlotte “I have learned from experience that the Lord hath blessed me.” Genesis 30:27
If I was asked to describe the year 2019, I would have to say it was incredibly busy, a lot of hard work, some sleepless nights, a few sad times, but you know what? There sure was a lot of LOVE and happiness in our year too!! And I am so glad that God chose this path for me for I am extremely blessed beyond measure and grateful everyday for what he has done for me. As 2019 comes to an end and a new decade is upon us, I just wanted to let you all know how thankful we are that you have chosen us for your dog boarding needs. It is crazy how fast this year has gone by. This time last year we were telling you about our expansion and with its completion and opening in October we have pretty much been booked solid every single day. WOW!! You all are the best!! I can honestly say there is nothing more loving, loyal, and so much fun than a dog. They bring so much happiness to peoples lives and all they want in return is to be loved. My favorite dog quote will always be “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” Dogs are so special, each one with their own personality and I am so glad that you share all your dogs with us. Trust me they are getting plenty of loving while they are here!! What will 2020 bring? Well I can honestly say on Danny’s behalf there won’t be another expansion lol, he has worked so hard for us and has gone above and beyond what I dreamed our kennel would ever be, ( I am one lucky girl) and it’s time for him to sit back and relax some. 2020 will also be a milestone birthday for me so you know we are going to have some fun!! Plus, I get to play and love on dogs everyday couldn’t get much better than that!! As always thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support we are so lucky to have made so many new friends along this journey we are on! Please remember when making those travel plans, we would love to keep your furry family member out in the country!! We hope everyone has a wonderful New Year full of love, happiness, and lots of dog kisses! Much love, Charlotte and Danny P.S. Here are some dates that we know we will be closed this year: February 18-22 April 20-May 3 September 21-30 As October comes to an end, I can only describe it in one word, UNBELIEVABLE! By the end of the week we will have boarded 83 dogs this month, yes 83. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed that I would be where I am today, and it wouldn’t be possible without Danny, my mom, my family, and all of you, our customers, that have trusted us with caring for your fur babies!! Now let me tell you, somedays were a little bit more hectic(thanks to Danny for getting me through those days) than others, but at the end of the day I realized that as long as I gave it 100%, and that each dog was loved on it was a good day!!
 When you look up the definition for vacation this is what it says, “A vacation, or holiday, is a leave of absence from a regular occupation, or a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism.” Danny and I just returned from our first vacation that we have taken together since we opened Country Bark Boarding two years ago. We were ready, and we had the best time! We fished a lot, we laughed a lot, we sat on the beach a lot and my favorite we rode horses on the beach yes on the beach and I guess you could say this will be a memory that I will always treasure!!
It was nice to get away if only for a short time, but now we are relaxed, refreshed, and recharged and ready to care for your dogs for you all to go on your summer vacations! I know you all are ready just like we were! But let me warn you it goes by fast! But we all need to get away from the everyday routine we are in every now and then and enjoy life and take the trip if you can even if it’s for a few days or a few weeks! The one thing I want our customers to be reassured of is that when you do take your vacation this summer, that we are loving on your fur baby and that they are having the best time while staying with us! We want you to enjoy your vacation like we did our vacation and not to worry! We will send you pictures and let you know how they are doing so you will have peace of mind and you too will be relaxed, refreshed, and recharged when you return home! Thanks to you all that have made your reservations for summer and fall already too! We will be working hard the next few months to get our addition of 9 kennels completed!! So, stay tuned for updates!! We look forward to seeing everyone in the country!!! Charlotte and Danny P.S. We have updated some things on our website so be sure and check that out!! www.countrybarkboarding.com “I will send down showers in season: there will be showers of blessings.” Ezekiel 34:26
I am sure that over the past few months I have learned more from the dogs we have boarded than they have ever learned from me. Such as love, acceptance, loyalty, compassion, and “PATIENCE”. Being patient is something that has always been hard for me, and the dogs have taught me to be more patient and realize that there is nothing we can do about the weather! So, we all know it has rained and rained and rained, and I have felt so bad for the dogs in the kennel because we can’t get out and play all day like we normally do. I will go in the kennel and tell them how sorry I am that it is raining again, and they still look at me with those eyes and they still wag their tails and if they could talk, I know they would tell me that it’s not my fault that it is rainy! 😊 Then Danny tells me “Charlotte if they were at home they would be inside too” which he is right (as usual), but it still makes my heart ache because I want them to be able to go outside and play. So, I must be patient and remind myself that they are warm, dry, safe and being loved on bunches while they are here with us!! Just a few more weeks of Winter and Spring will be here! We are hoping the sun comes out soon and dries up all this rain, the grass starts growing and I can start mowing (I love to mow! Lol), flowers will be blooming, and we can finally start again on our new addition!! With all this rain its been a slow go! (Where the patience comes in again) But the plumbing is in and ready for some concrete! We will be adding 9 more kennels and another play yard for our guests to run and play. We are so excited and so blessed!! As always thank you for letting us keep your fur babies! We really do love what we are doing, and I hope you will continue to bring them to see us in the country!!! Here’s to sunny days ahead!!! Charlotte Today is the first day of February, the 2nd month of the year or as I like to say the month of LOVE. February is one of my most favorite months of the year! I have had a lot of life changing things happen to me in February. I married my best friend, the love of my life in February and I am so lucky to be doing life with him. He is my rock, the one that would do anything for me and my one true love and the one I am so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with. We have so much fun together and we really don’t go and do anything we love to just be at home! Lol We laugh a lot and he laughs at me a lot. As my mom always says you cannot get through this life without a sense of humor!! And when he sits with you every night for the past 2-3 weeks and watches every single episode of When Calls the Heart on Netflix you know he is a keeper! 😊 In February I received one of the greatest gifts ever as my son was born. There is nothing like becoming a mom as it changes your life forever. He will forever be my little boy and so glad that God made me his mom. February has also brought some sadness as my grandmother past away at the age of 92. She was one of a kind and what I wouldn’t give to eat a home-cooked meal in her kitchen again! So, you see love comes in all aspects of your life whether it is getting married, or having a child, or losing a loved one. Love is what makes the world go around.
One of my favorite kinds of love is the unconditional love. Dogs love in a way that is unconditional and without limitations. As humans we could learn so much from our dogs if we could just take the time. I know since God has taken me down this path that I am on that I have learned so many lessons from our dogs we have boarded. Did you know that dogs make great listeners? No matter how bad a day I have had or if I just don’t feel good a dog is always there to listen and they comfort you with those big eyes, nose nudges, sloppy wet kisses or just sitting beside you while you pet them. Did you know that dogs always see the best in you? Maybe you had a rough day at work or school. You didn’t do good on a test or you made a mistake at work and you think your life is not going the way you want it to. Your dog still thinks you can do anything! They see us at our very worst and still think we are worth a million dollars! Did you know that dogs never hold a grudge? I witness this every time I walk in my door. Whether I have been gone for 5 minutes or all day my dogs are always happy to see me, and I also see it when our customers come pick up their dog after they have boarded with us, they are so glad to see their owners and nothing could make me happier! Did you know that a dog’s affection is unwavering? Even though they may not be here with us long, dogs love us with their whole heart. Our dogs love us more than they love themselves, and that is something that we can all learn a lesson from. I hope your February brings you much love and happiness and I just want to thank you all for letting me love on your dogs and for letting your dog’s love on me! I truly do love each one of them! 1 Corinthians 13:13- And now these three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love. Spring is just around the corner! I hope you will remember us when making those vacation plans! Hope to see you in the country! Love, Charlotte 2018 described in one word- AMAZING! Never in a million years did I dream that two years ago when I brought up the idea of opening a dog boarding kennel to Danny that we would be where we are today. When we first opened in June 2017, I started keeping a log of every dog that came through our doors to stay with us, and as of today we have had 653 boarders. 😊 Some one-time boarders and then some that have stayed with us multiple times. They have come in all different sizes and all different breeds. Each one of them special in their own way. Honestly there is nothing more loving than a dog. I am sure many of you have heard the saying “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself” and this is so true!!
With this year ending I want to tell each of our customers how thankful we are for each of you, the friendships we have formed, and how much you mean to us!! We would not be where we are today with out you all!! Thank you so much for trusting us with your family member! Our main goal is for you to enjoy your vacation without worrying about how your dog is doing! (I promise you I am loving on them as much as I can!) We can’t always see where the road leads, but God promises there’s something better up ahead we must trust him. (Psalm 56:3) Hard work, dedication, love, and trusting God has got us this far in our adventure and we are going to continue trusting him as we have begun Country Bark Boarding phase 2. 😊 Yes, we are expanding!!! We will be adding 9 more kennels all large sizes. If there is one thing, we have learned is you can put a small dog in a large kennel but those big dogs they need a lot more room! Lol We want to be able to have one section for small dogs and the other for large dogs. As for a completion date that is yet to be determined for some reason mother nature thinks we have needed a lot of rain lately so that has kind of slowed our progress down. But you know I will keep you updated!! So, as you begin 2019, I hope you will pray for us as we continue this journey we are on and as you start planning your upcoming vacations, please give us a call for your boarding needs!! We would love your fur baby to come to the country and stay!! We hope your New Year brings you much love, laughter, and happiness!! Charlotte and Danny Reese Witherspoon says it best in her new book Whiskey in a Teacup, “Dogs help us understand unconditional love and that humans aren’t the only beings in the universe. Dogs bring out our compassion – something that’s much needed in the world right now. They provide us with companionship and acceptance. We get so much love and joy from spending time with our dogs.” She is so right, and we are the lucky ones because we get to spend time with your dogs at Country Bark Boarding!!😊
Can you believe we are already halfway through October? Where has this year gone? The holidays are fast approaching!!! Fall break was extremely busy and so are the next few weeks. We are so blessed with all our customers and their dogs and we thank you for choosing and trusting us for your boarding needs. One of the hardest parts about this business is telling customers we are full and don’t have anymore room. So, Danny and I have decided that we just might need to add some more kennels!!! God took us down this path and I pray every day that he doesn’t give us more than we can handle! It will be a slow process but hopefully by this time next year we will have a new addition with more kennels, so we can love on more dogs!!! 😊 I had a customer ask me recently if I was still enjoying this or if I was getting burned out yet. I said no I am still loving it and it truly is the best job ever, but every now and then Danny and I need to take a break and recharge. Sometimes we have some upkeep that needs to be done in the kennel and it is hard when we have guests in there. So, we have gone ahead and tentatively chosen some dates when we know we are going to be closed. Oct. 27-31, 2018, December 7-10, 2018, February 23-28, 2019, April 29-May 12, 2019. So, if you already have a vacation scheduled go ahead and give us call so we can reserve you a spot. We already have some scheduled for spring break and 4th of July!! As always if you ever have any questions please feel free to call us and we hope to see you in the country!!! Hope everyone has a great week! Charlotte and Danny www.countrybarkboarding.com |