Month: December 2021

Pawcation – Junior (18 to 22 Dec 2021)

Late Night Pickup – 18 December

On a rainy night, we head out to pick Junior up for his pawcation while his pawrents are off for theirs. It started as a drizzle when we exit the car park. But as we drove further at TPE, the rain got heavier and visibility was a blur. We decided to take the left-most lane on the expressway and drove with care.

Upon reaching Junior’s place, he greeted us happily and can’t wait to start his pawcation with us. As he had some skin issues previously, he had his diet changed and we were taking down mental notes of his new feeding instructions. But of course, his mum sent us a text on the feeding instructions in case we forgot or miss out on something.

Thankfully the rain got smaller on our journey back. Once we arrived, walking back from the car park, Junior had his toilet break. Once home, had his feet wiped and he’s off to look for our Toby.

The first night for him wasn’t a pleasant one. He kept asking us to let him out of our room and refused to head back in. We weren’t sure why but we let him as long as he’s comfortable.

Pawcation Days

Junior is a very food motivated boy. When it comes to food, he’s very excited and can’t contain his excitement. We had to heat up his food and let it cool, but he doesn’t want to wait and wanted to dive in right away to chomp down his meal. It took us a while to calm him down during mealtime despite him sitting there impatiently and drooling.

It took us a while to understand why he doesn’t want to sleep with us in the room. When we bring in our extra dog bed into our room, did we notice him climbing up and starting to curl up to sleep. So he had been trying to tell us that an extra bed was missing, we didn’t get the hint. Sorry Junior, but we weren’t late to bring in one for you.

Didn’t get to bring him out for walks as the weather was a little cranky lately. It’s either a rainy day or passing rain clouds. Quite annoying actually. So we spent time with all the fur kids at home by taking turns to give them the attention they needed.

Grooming Day, Home Sweet Home

It’s grooming before heading home. Junior’s pawrents requested for a full groom session. They wanted his fur shorter in order to check on his skin condition. After shaving off his fur, we noticed he is still having some rashes and so we took a picture and update his pawrents.

While he was having his grooming session, he was a little fidgety as he wanted to get off the grooming table and mingle with our supawvisors. Had to talk to him nicely that he’ll get his playtime after the session. It did help a little before he got distracted again.

Sending him back after his dinner. While he watch us pack his stuffs, he got so excited and can’t wait to head home. We’re glad he enjoyed himself and looking forward to care for him again.

Day Care – 16 Dec 2021

Daycare 16 December 2021

Video of the day

Pickup

This week, we pick Covan up first before we head over to the west for Ruffles and Kelly. It was a long car ride for Covan, who gets motion sickness easily. But thankfully, he’s OK and well. Did we share about our first car ride with Covan? He scares the hell out of us by lying in his carrier and being not responsive. Back then we didn’t know he does have motion sickness.

After we pick up Ruffles and Kelly, we’ve decided to head back to the east for our weekly walk before heading home for the fur kids’ playtime.

Excursion at Punggol Settlement

Decided to head over to Punggol Settlement as we remembered the scenery there was awesome. Little did we know, the park’s carpark was full and we had to park at the other open space carpark next to it.

The park’s carpark at the moment is free and only limited slots available. And it’s usually full because non-parkgoers tend to take advantage of it. But it’s OK, the other carpark that we went to, though it’s not free, there’s ample lot available.

Tried taking a class photo of the fur kids, but failed terribly. They were all in their own world minding their own business. But it’s OK, we continued our journey towards Punggol jetty which have tiny steps towards the small beach area. Sadly, it was crowded and the fur kids didn’t get to feel the sands beneath their tiny paws.

We did take a break at the jetty and enjoyed the sea breeze while a toddler kept trying her luck to get close to us but was stopped by her mother. As the sun gets hotter, decided it’s time to head back home before all of us gets a heat stroke. Thankful for the nice weather and that the daycare fur kids get to have their walk for the day.

Shower Day

After our break and playtime, it’s shower day for the daycare fur kids. For Ruffles & Kelly, they’re on a bi-weekly shower schedule. And so the day finally arrives!

As much as they dislike it, but it’s time to make them clean and fresh before heading home. Thankfully, they’re quite cooperative during the session. And we meant there’s no need to chase them around the house just to catch them for their turn.

After showering all the fur kids, we sent Covan home first. And we’re in time before he gets all cranky before his dinner time. We were told he can be cranky nearing his dinner time, so we had to send him back before that.

Nap Time, Dinner Time

It’s nap time for all of us, nanny included. The only time we ever had peace was when they’re all taking a nap. So peaceful and quiet. For the humans, we get to have a quick power nap before all the fur kids are awake. Which also means more chaos as dinner time draws near.

It’s never easy feeding a bunch of fur kids, especially the very eager and excited ones when it comes to food. Luckily, we had extra pair of hands to help. So the impact of dinner time chaos wasn’t that bad.

Home Sweet Home

It’s time to head home after dinner. Sending them back can be quite therapeutic especially when the drive towards their home, we get to enjoy the nice sunset. Of course, provided it doesn’t rain on the day and when we’re not taking the KPE expressway.

Once they’re home, did we finally end our work and have some me-time. Do follow us on our website for the next adventure.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Seasons Greetings!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It’s the time of the year again! Thank you everyone for your continued support both in our grooming as well as retail. We’re grateful and appreciate every support and motivation you’ve given us to strive forward to serve you better.

On this joyous occasion, we wished everybody good health and be happy. Nothing beats staying positive during this trying time.

Year 2021

It’s the time of the year again where we would sit down and reminisce what we’ve been through for the year. The year 2021 is another year where we’re still stuck here due to the covid-19 pandemic, yet we’re embracing the new norm as we led our lives back to the usual as much as we could.

With the many changes to the rules and regulations from the government, we managed to make it through with everybody’s understanding and patience. It wasn’t a great year as we all hope, but we’re hoping that everybody is still as sane as ever. Covid-19 fatigue is real and that many are experiencing a mental breakdown. May you seek help if needed and stay strong! The world isn’t going to end just yet, so we got to encourage one another to move forward as we battle through and move towards the endemic.

Experiencing burnout

To be honest, with two years of not taking a break, we do experience burnout from work. Though we did have a worrying break last year due to the circuit breaker, we weren’t well-rested. We tried our best to serve everybody as best as we could during the circuit breaker exit phase 1, but due to our groomer being the lone ranger, it’s difficult to schedule everybody while we’re on a tight schedule. The per-day restrictions set by the government weren’t helping either as we try to follow the rules as closely as we could.

But of course, we’re still figuring out how to keep ourselves sane during this trying time. Hope everyone will understand if we were to take a few days off to recharge for the sake of our mental health.

GPS Mini Pawmart Venture

We do have a Carousell account since we started Grooming Pit Stop, however, we weren’t actively selling because our main priority in this small business is dog grooming. However, we had to start actively selling last year during the circuit breaker in the hope to bring us a little income to tide us over during the no grooming phase. Though there weren’t any orders coming in, and we were dejected, we decided to give retail another try.

In around September this year, we set up our Shopee page and started listing items that we have on hand to sell. We may have limited products available compared to those bigger players online, we’re contented to start things small and slow. We knew all along that retail isn’t as profitable and it’s difficult to get it all going, we decided to push forward. The first order that came in made us all thrilled and happy that the wait was worth it. And true enough, subsequent order came in. Although it was a small order, it did bring our morale up a little and have that tiny glimpse of hope for retail.

Then we decided to set up our own online store from scratch! To be honest, it wasn’t easy. Took us a while to understand how to use the interface and upload the products onto our online store. It was many trial and error as well as testing the page for transactions. We’ve decided on contactless payments, such as paynow, paylah and google pay instead of a credit card. Simply because most of our customers prefer that mode of payment online. And by paying us through google pay, you get to have rewards. Why not right?

Retail is our new venture which we hope it’ll grow and serve everybody’s needs other than just providing grooming services. We know it’s not easy, but we’ll hang in there. Do come and give us your support and grow with us!

Last but not least, thank you everyone for always being there for us.

xoxo
Team Grooming Pit Stop

Day Care – 9 Dec 2021

Day care 9 December 2021

Macdonald, Pickup Covan

We woke up at 5:30 am because we wanted to head down to Ang Mo Kio Park Macdonalds to buy the family meal for the picnic set. It starts from 9th December till 12th December and it’s limited to 100 sets per day. The purchase timing starts at 7 am and we thought since this isn’t Hello Kitty, it won’t be sold out that fast. Apparently, when we arrived at 6:45 am, we were told by the staff that it’s fully redeemed. Out of curiosity, we asked what time did the first person arrive. We were told he arrived at 5 am, which mean he have to be in the queue for 2 hours!

We left empty-handed and decided to head over and pick Covan up early. Accompanied him for his morning walk with his pawrent. Got to meet some fur kids around his estate and they’re all cute and adorable in their own ways. Then it’s back to his place and waits a little bit while he ate his breakfast.

Coffee Break

Once back to our humble abode with Covan, we decided to take a breather and have a coffee break before heading out again to pick Ruffles and Kelly up. In case you’re wondering, we brew our own coffee. Bought coffee beans and we hand ground them with a grinder. Yes, we’re that hardworking to make ourselves a nice cup of coffee.

We’re not exactly coffee experts, but we do like and enjoy our coffee every morning. It’s a must to perk ourselves up before we start our work. Even on our off days, we do this as well. Who wouldn’t want a nice cup of coffee to start the day?

Journey to the West

Once done with coffee, we head out to pick Ruffles and Kelly for their daycare. It was a long journey from the North-East and so we blasted Westlife’s new songs to accompany us during the trip. Their new songs are awesome and we had it on loop.

Picking up the fur kids was a breeze except for the chaos when we tried putting their harness on before heading out the door. Like most fur kids, they’re excited at the thought of just heading out. We continued with our Westlife’s songs as we head back. But of course, we had to detour a little to get lunch.

SengKang Riverside Park, O’ My Kampung

Head over to Sengkang Riverside Park again. Firstly, it’s free parking so we get to walk the fur kids around. We didn’t get to walk much as part of the place is under construction. So we head over to the sheltered place where O’ My Kampung is located at.

We understand that no dogs are allowed, but we’re thankful the staff allowed us to make a quick order for takeaway while we waited outside for our food. Thank you O’ My Kampung for accommodating us for a little bit. In case you’re all wondering, we’ve read many good reviews about their food and had personally tried it once a few months back, and so we’re back again to try out other food that they have on the menu.

Play time, Nap Time, Dinner Time

Once back, it’s playtime for the fur kids. Covan and Ruffles had a game of hide and seek again. While Kelly and our supawvisors are minding their own business. While we had lunch, we used our eye power to watch over the fur kids while they’re off to mingle around.

Like the previous week, we sent Covan back after his shower. Just in time for his dinner before he gets all hangry at the humans. Meanwhile, back at our place, the others had their nap time while our chef prepares their dinner. It was a peaceful day, in fact, we humans get to have a little nap as well.

Feeding two fur kids is nothing to us. But feeding four is a little mess. It’s like having a war in the kitchen. As our Twix is blind now, we had to protect her food bowl and not allow the others to snatch her food.

Home Sweet Home

It’s time to send Ruffles and Kelly home. While we get ready with their harness and leash, they got all excited and started running and turning around. It made getting them ready to head home a little difficult. But we managed it once you get the hang of their patterns. It’s the same as when we groom each individual fur baby. They do have certain quirks that you will eventually know, and they’ll make your job much easier.

Once back at their humble abode, we helped to feed their other fur siblings before we call it a day. It’s a tiring day, but fruitful. Seeing all the fur kids happy at the daycare, we’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.

Day Care – 2 Dec 2021

The daycare fur kids

Morning Pickup

It was drizzling in the morning at our place when we got up and get ready for work. As much as we would like to laze in bed, we have some pickup to do. And we’re off to our first stop, Ruffles, and Kelly. The first pair of fur kids that we’re picking up for the day. Then it’s to pick up Covan next, our last stop before we head back to our humble abode.

Initially, we wanted to pick Covan up first because his place is nearer to us. But our partner reminded us that Covan does have motion sickness. It’s not advisable to pick him up first and journey to the west for the other fur kids. So we decided to pick him up last so he doesn’t have to suffer the long car ride.

No Excursion, Playtime

We were hoping that the rain would stop and we get to have a quick excursion at a park nearby. Sadly, the rain continued and we just had to head home and start playtime earlier than usual.

Once back to our humble abode, the fur kids start to mingle and chase one another. It was chaos for the nannies, but for the fur kids, it’s just a fun time. In our opinion, they seem to have a fun time. While we eat our onigiri for lunch, we used our eye-power to watch over the kids who started a whole new game of hiding and you can’t get to me.

We sent Covan back after his shower session while the others continued to have their fun time. Don’t worry, our partner at work was home to look after them, no fur kids were left unattended while sending Covan home.

Dinner

Ruffles seemed to be excited when we’re preparing their dinner. He wouldn’t stop jumping and loiter around the kitchen. As we only have a pair of hands, we had to feed the fur kids turn by turn. Starting from the slower eater. And whenever we bring a bowl off the table, Ruffles would start jumping about like a kangaroo and hope that it’s his. Kelly would loiter around too, but she’s much calmer while she waits for her share.

Heading Home, Jam at KPE

Traffic jam at KPE tunnel

After dinner, it’s time for Ruffles and Kelly to head home. Set up the GPS and we’re off! Somehow, after entering KPE, we heard a siren coming from behind us and we realized it’s the traffic police. At first, we thought he was chasing someone because there’s a motorcyclist driving past us at a high speed earlier. Then we saw the sign in the tunnel that says the middle lane was closed.

While moving slowly in the traffic, Ruffles got tired and fell asleep. As we moved further into the KPE tunnel, nearing the PIE exit, we finally understand why there’s a long jam. There was an accident between a Mini Cooper and a Blue SG car. Somehow we’re glad that the only casualty was the cars, the humans were fine.

Our first traffic jam experience while on daycare duty was pretty memorable. Thankful the fur kids were patient enough during the traffic jam journey.

Once Ruffles and Kelly got home, we’re finally off work! What a day! It’s both tiring yet amazing all at the same time. Looking forward to the next daycare session and we wonder what our next adventure will be like.