Staff woke me this morning when they arrived at 6am. i am usually awake around 4am.but so busy running the kennels and cattery and coping with weather that I am worn out. Mark, who has worked here for 8 years told me 'You look like a zombie walking around, take the day off, we've got this' - so I am relaxing....and maybe sleep a while too.
I have lost 8lb in the last 2 weeks - weather extremes have made work hard....hottest July days on record, followed by torrential rain and flooding and, virtually unknown in August, a gale is blowing through today. Keeping pets cool and drying them off after walks all takes extra time - easy with your pet at home, but when you have 45 dogs and 20 cats to sort out can easily be 2-3 hours additional work.
On top of all that we had an inspection - passed with flying colours as always.....but. New regulations have been introduced with a star ratings system. To meet the highest standard I have to increase the 'available area' in the cat chalets plus I must write a procedures manual.
The cat chalets need shelves replacing with bigger shelves to add 3 square feet - I don't think a cat will care if the shelf it lays on is 16 x 30 inch or 24 x 48 inch - costs me arond £300 and a few hours work to change.
Procedures and a manual, 'so your staff know how to work' is taking hours to write. My staff have all been here for years, know their job inside out and understand that if they are unsure - they ask. Everyone here is shown how to do the job during training, even down to most effective way to clean and disinfect a kennel floor. Having a manual will not be a benefit - apart from keeping a beaurocrat happy and gaining a top rating.
Sorry for a long rant - I hate clipboard wielding idiots who would not survive a real job telling me what i must do..... but doing it anyway.