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Ruff Around The Edges Grooming, Kitchener Street, Gore (2025)

23/12/2024

Just a wee check in from me & update & to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas 🎄❤️💚

I was really hoping to be back on deck by now or at least by the new year doing a few days a week but things really aren’t flash with our wee man Bodhi. He has got very severe reflux alongside other issues, which our oldest Lachie had too, except Bodhi is even worse which I didn’t think was possible!

We had a trip to Dunedin last week where he got a test done called a barium swallow which came back with severe gastro oesophageal reflux, a hiatus hernia (which means his stomach is moving up & down into his diaphragm) as well as significant delayed gastric emptying. These results even surprised his paediatrian at how severe they were. 😭
To sum up life for us at the moment, consists of an uncomfortable screaming baby the majority of the time, he can’t feed properly without choking and spluttering with a lot of his feeds, he can’t sleep because the reflux just constantly wakes him up, he chokes and stops breathing and it is all just honestly heartbreaking.

The only thing we can do for him is surgery but due to the time of year we have to wait until the end of January. With the degree of severity there may be still problems we have to deal with after surgery but it will significantly change his life and improve things. 🤞🏼

I’m very much a do it myself kind of girl and not much stops me, I usually work through everything, with Covid, a broken finger, vomiting bug, chest infection, pre eclampsia, the whole shibang, if I’ve had it I can guarantee I worked through it. But this is just something I can not work through, because it’s not myself it’s my wee boy I need to put him first & there’s absolutely no way he would cope out there while I was grooming, he requires all of my attention constantly and it just would not be do able at the moment. 😞

While I will do absolutely anything for my children, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be grooming, I miss it so much. If anything, this has all taught me that I’m definitely in the right profession! I groomed my own dogs the other day and for the first time in a very long time I felt like myself again, in my happy place. 🫶🏽 I miss you guys and your furry friends like you wouldn’t believe. 💔

I will be back! Hopefully once Bodhi has had surgery things should be finally starting to get a little bit more normal and manageable and I can start doing even just a few dogs a week. 🤞🏼

I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you, my clients ~ a lot of you who have become good friends & big parts of my life 🩷😭 you have all been so understanding, kind & caring and I am just so grateful for each and every one of you.

This is not how I had planned for things to go, but it seems things never go to plan for me so we just have to roll with it! A massive shout out too, to the other groomers here Kellie & Megan who have taken on you guys to make sure your doggos still get groomed, especially at this time of year, I’m so grateful & I know they have been in good hands which makes me feel better.

I’m going to sign off now until my next update for you all probably in January,
I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas, New Year & holidays with your family and loved ones. ❤️☀️🎄

Thank you so much for all the support this year, you guys have really gone above & beyond for me and I am so thankful for my Ruff Around The Edges family. I truly can not wait to be back on deck grooming doing what I love, but first I need to get my wee boy healthy. If you stick with me after all of this, honestly thank you 🙏🏼 This is so much more than a job to me, it is what I love.

Here’s to 2025, this year has been a bloody rollercoaster! 🎢 Give your doggos a big cuddle from me, and look after yourselves over the break. 🩷

Thank you for each & every one of you,
Love always,
Kayla & my wee
family xx 🫶🏽

06/11/2024

A wee update on our life & where things are at work wise for Ruff Around The Edges;

Today we have had one whole month of our wee Bods 🩵

History is repeating itself a bit here with this wee man who is unfortunately following in the footsteps of his big brother & has started showing signs of some nasty reflux which seems to be ramping up by the day & he also having trouble with feeding off me because he’s exhausted & not awake enough to have a full feed, then he’s spewing up what he has got, meaning he’s not putting on weight and it’s just a vicious wee cycle.

We knew this was going to be a high possibility but hoped so badly we would get lucky and manage to avoid it, especially after the journey we’ve had so far with the pregnancy and birth, but it is what it is & we will get there!

With this not being our first rodeo, we know the drill, we are onto it early, and know it’s not forever. But it still doesn’t make it any easier. The days and nights are so bloody long when you’re in the thick of it. Dan and I are taking turns at holding Bodhi & sleeping when one isn’t holding, as he just doesn’t want to lay on his back, it’s tough. We saw the paediatrician today and the hospital has given us a hospital grade pulse ox to monitor Bods breathing & HR due to him spewing out his nose and gasping when he’s laying down.

The paediatrician said there’s a high chance things will get worse as he gets bigger/older, as they did with Lachie, and if that is the case he will be onto the surgeon asap which I was really shocked to hear & made me a bit upset hearing that surgery may be a thing for Bodhi too, but he explained to me there is no point in mucking around with it this time, knowing what we do now after the journey with Lachie.
And with Bodhi being so young, he shouldn’t develop a feeding aversion and need tube fed and he won’t remember anything.

So it’s just one day and one week at a time here now. Hopefully a bit of medication sorts him out and we don’t have to go down the surgery route. But if we do, we will get there. 🤞🏼🫶🏽

Sorry I haven’t reached back out to a lot of you guys, my minds been all over the show, and I really don’t have a lot of time on my hands. But know every message is read and appreciated especially in those long hours during the night. 😅

With all of this it means that going back to work right now just isn’t doable, I was hoping to be back on deck after 4-6 weeks with one dog a day but that seems impossible right now. 🫠
I’m hoping by the new year things will be way better & I can get back to doing what I love and seeing all you guys and my furry friends!
I know the whether is getting warmer and your pooches will need groomed, hopefully by now they’ve got in somewhere else in the meantime🤞🏼

I promise I will be back as soon as I can, so let’s aim for the new year, I’m keeping my fingers crossed! 🤞🏼 I do apologise for the going off work early unexpectedly to have this wee man, and then this thrown in the mix. It seems I really just don’t do pregnancy or babies very easily!

But this isn’t forever, and we will get there. Reminding myself this on the daily. 💪🏼 ✨

I miss you all very much,
Much love,
Kayla 🩷🩷

10/10/2024

A wee update for you all on things written by Dan:

After a whirlwind of a journey Kayla, Lachie & I would like to share that our gorgeous strong wee man arrived earthside on Wednesday 6 weeks early at 4lb 8oz ~ Bodhi Andrew Macfadgen

Things haven’t been straight forward with Kayla being in & out of hospital for the last 5 weeks, she ended up getting severe pre eclampsia last week and was admitted to hospital to try and keep the baby in for as long as possible, things just wouldn’t stabilise so the doctors made the decision that the safest thing to do would be to have him early, Kayla was induced on Monday and was in labour all of Tuesday with some strong contractions, it was decided to break her waters Wednesday morning and when doing so the umbilical cord pr*****ed causing an emergency and Kayla being rushed into a c-section which she had to be under general anaesthesia for due to it not being planned, and I wasn’t allowed in due to it being such a serious emergency. After 1 minute of being under Bodhi was delivered and was crying when he came out, he is safely here in the NICU getting some support where he will be for a few weeks at least until he gets a bit bigger. Kayla is doing as well but is sore & has a lot to process as it’s been a very long and scary journey for the both of us. We are in amazing hands down here & the care we have received is out of this world. Without these wonderful ladies looking after us things would have been very different. But the main thing is that they are both still here and healthy.

This for the grooming side of things means Ruff Around The Edges will be out of action for a while until everyone is home and healthy. This was never the plan but nothing has really gone to plan at all. 😅 There are some amazing groomers in the Gore area who will be able to help out until things are back to normal.
Apologises from our end in advance, as soon as things are back on track we will let everyone know & will post updates as time goes on. 🩵

09/09/2024

APPOINTMENT TAKEN ✨

Due to a cancellation I have a one off appointment available for this Wednesday @ 12:15pm for a small-small/medium dog. 🐕

Can be anything from a bath, blowdry & brush, to deshed or a full groom. 🌟 This is likely one of the last spots I’ll have before this bub comes along 🫣

Message me to book 🫶🏽

15/08/2024

Ive been a bit slack at posting regularly because well, life! 🥴

But this special girl Eileen most definitely deserves a mention, she has been coming to me for 2.5 years now since she was a puppy, she lives on a farm & absolutely loves getting muddy, she is a big princess & is so loved by her mama! And I am so incredibly proud of her for the progress she has made!

Up until a year ago her mum was having to come and help calm her down so that I could get her feet done, she required a muzzle for most of the groom, crocodile rolled, chewed through the harnesses and did everything she could to not be groomed 😅 Although she has always loved coming in & loved me, she certainly did not love the grooming process!

Fast forward to now with her most recent groom, after lots of work together, lots of patience and positive reassurance, we managed our first groom together with no muzzle or too much resistance! This is such a huge achievement for Miss Eileen & I’m so so proud of her. 🫶🏽🫶🏽

11/07/2024

Hey everyone,
I reaaaaally do not want to be making another one of these posts but it is getting slightly ridiculous at the amount of issues I am running into with lateness, no shows and late cancellations then refusal to pay invoices. I like to keep everything positive and professional but this is getting out of hand.

This week alone out of the 4 days I’ve worked, all 4 days I have had late arrivals past policy late time without any heads up to myself. 1 of these I no showed and the rest I have been lenient, let my day fall behind and still completed the appointment. I do not want to no show you, and have your dog miss out! I’m booked up for 8 weeks at a time and it isn’t fair on the dogs them being overdue if I don’t do the appointment BUT The issue here, is if I allowed everyone to be late, my entire day would be running an hour or more late by my last dog! I have a life out of the salon and appointments to attend myself, and places to be, children to pick up, this has a roll on effect, if you are late, it makes me mess someone else around.

There should be no confusion on my policies which I will post below, as they go out on EVERY email confirmation and reminder, this is in total 3 emails for every appointment made. As well as being listed in my consent forms AND on my salon door.

Then I am also running into issues with people paying their invoices after being charged for being late or no showing, which when you book you agree to these policies. This really isn’t fair on myself and all the other clients who are on time and pay their invoices.

I have been doing this for 4 years now and have never dealt with some of the disrespect and rudeness like I have in the past year. I put my absolute everything into the dogs I do, I am as flexible as possible and often charge much less than my worth, give discounts, allow myself to be a doggy daycare even though I’m not and it does really gut me when I choose to enforce the policies that I have, the treatment I receive despite doing all of the above.

If you are running late, PLEASE give me a heads up. I am accomodating when I can be, and when given notice. This may mean getting my next dog in earlier to start or starting on a job that needs done instead of twiddling by thumbs wondering if you’re arriving or not. Things happen I get that, and I do try to be flexible and understanding. But I also need to keep things running as smoothly as possible. If I can’t be accomodating, it’s because I truly can’t be at that time.

I am no different to someone in a big company, a hair dressers, a doctors or specialist appointment or anything you require to be at on time. Even childcare, if you don’t turn up to your booked time you still are required to pay. They all have policies that are enforced just as I do and I deserve the same respect.

I really really do not like having to make a post like this because I genuinely am such a kind bubbly person so it does really gut me to have to talk like this but it is vital to ensure things are better going forward or I will have to make some serious changes to continue doing this as smoothly as possible, especially with a small human joining my family soon.

Sorry for this especially on a Friday, to everyone who does respect me and what I do, I truly deeply appreciate it.

08/07/2024

I thought it was about time I jumped on & let everyone know what’s going on at Ruff Around The Edges! Many of you already know, but for those that don’t ~ our family is expanding in a few months and this time it’s not with a four legged animal! 🤰🏻

I intend to work up until I pop 💥 and not take much time off, but obviously what I intend to do and what will actually happen may be different as birth & babies tend to be something you can’t really predict!

So for the questions of when will you go on leave and be back etc, my definite answer is, I don’t have one 😅 I will schedule grooms right up until my due date and all going well I will be able to complete all of these, but I will not be scheduling any for afterwards it will be a case of I will get in touch when I’m ready to be back on deck. This may mean we are a bit later than usual on the timing between grooms, with it being warmer weather when I’m due we can always go shorter on your doggos last groom to make it last longer. Between us we will figure it out. 🤍

I will be coming back into the salon with a newborn at the beginning, either in a front pack and/or in a portacot, at least when the child is 2 it will be accustomed to the grooming life right 😂 This will mean that i can come back to work earlier as I can’t send a newborn off to daycare! But it will also mean that some of my bigger/harder to handle dogs, and aggressive dogs won’t be safe to do while bubs is with me.
All of this we can access as it comes. 🫶🏽

But here is the heads up, that things will be changing, BUT I am not going to disappear, and if I do pop off the radar for a bit, it will only be for a short time. 🫶🏽

Thank you to all my loyal human and fur friends for always being understanding, I haven’t had to take really any time off as of yet, but please know if I have to it’s a last resort, and for the safety of this wee babe but please know your doggo’s wellbeing is also on my priorities. 🤍

Although I am a mum, I also love my job and what I do, and in this day & age, and with being self employed I am lucky enough to be able to continue doing both. Some days are chaotic & hard but I wouldn’t have it any other way! When you become a client with Ruff Around The Edges, you also become apart of my family. 🫶🏽 Much love to you all, and thanks for being apart of my Ruff Around The Edges family 🤍🤍

01/07/2024

Good morning whānau,
Just a couple of house keeping things to touch on ~

• With the weather being wet and wintery, my lawn is a mess at this time of year so is partially fenced off even for my own dogs, please toilet your dog BEFORE their appointment to avoid them having to go on the lawn here & making it all unusable.

• Also just a reminder that although most of the dogs think this is like their second home please still bring them in on a LEAD, sometimes there is client cross over and not all dogs love other dogs as well as the road here being busy with the school next door, this just helps keep all the dogs safe & elimate the chance for any accidents.

Thanks team have a fab day xx 🫶🏽

20/06/2024

Mac my big fluffy bestie came in yesterday for his big tidy up after living his best life out on the farm in the mud 🙌🏼

I told him not to go straight home and roll in cow p**p, not positive he would’ve taken that advice on though 😂 🐮

He gives the best snugs so it’s all okay 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

18/06/2024

This wee farm boy Frank came in for a big ol’clean up today & boy it made a difference!
Check out that before and after 😍

Sheep p**p smelling hair be gone 👋🏼
Sweet Lily Passion cologne welcome 🤗 😂

Farming doggos deserve some pampering too & Frank lapped up all the attention 🫶🏽🐕

22/05/2024

Good morning guys!
I really do not like having to make these posts as I like to keep things positive, but it is apparent I do have to keep doing so as a reminder ~

Lately I have had an increased amount of late cancellations, no shows & late pickups. By booking with Ruff Around The Edges you are agreeing to the policies which are stated clearly on all email confirmations and reminders as well as on here. You get a confirmation email with these when the appointment is booked, an email reminder and text reminder 48 hrs and 24 hrs prior to your appointment, which I pay for out of my pocket for your convenience!

The last 7 days alone, I’ve had 4 no shows/late arrivals and 1 late cancellation. More than one of these has failed to pay the outstanding invoice. I do not want to have to start charging deposits on appointments but if this continues being a reoccurring issue that will be a step I may have to incorporate.

As I am a sole trader I do not get paid if you don’t turn up for your appointment or pay for your invoice, this means my family is out financially for the week and in this economy is very difficult. If you are finding it hard to pay your invoice, I am always willing to be flexible with that!

I am booked up for 8 weeks consistently and have a waiting list of clients who would love your appointment had I been given enough notice to fill it. So not only am I missing out, they essentially are too.

I have been running this business which I absolutely love doing for 4 years now and a lot of my clients have been here for this time, I love and respect all my clients and put my absolute all into the dogs at each and every appointment.

I do not enjoy having to enforce these policies and turn clients away when they arrive late, I am a people pleaser so find this extremely difficult but as the years have gone on I have learnt that I have a schedule to stick by, a household to support and require my days to run as smoothly as possible so it is essential that I do stick to them, regardless of how much I value you as a person and client.

I do understand that unforeseen things happen, and I do try my best to be understanding and flexible where I can. I do though, ask for communication and notice where possible and to understand that I am running a business, and think about how I am essentially no different to anyone else you book an appointment with.

That is all now I’m going to groom some amazing doggos and do what I love 🤍, any questions please feel free to text or message me. And a BIG thank you to all my clients who help make things run smoothly, and are always efficient and prompt, I appreciate you 🤍
Have a fabulous day 🫶🏽

16/05/2024

Miss Freda Louise looking pretty after her groom today 🤍🖤

10/05/2024

I’ve been a bit absent on the old posting front lately! Life’s just been crazy hectic. 🌪️

But little miss Karli is just too cute not to share 🫶🏽 She did sooo good for her first groom, I can’t wait to build a friendship together. 🩷🩷 The absolute best is a relationship started right from a puppy 🥹❤️❤️

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend & stay warm 🔥🪵🫶🏽

04/03/2024

What better way to start the week than with this delicious little man Moose 🫎 🐕🫶🏽
He came in today for his first ever groom & boy oh boy he nailed it!
I can’t wait to get to know you & grow a friendship Moose 🤎🤎🤎

12/02/2024

Last week two of my wonderful families had to send their fur babies over the rainbow bridge 💔🐕 Loosing our fur babies is so hard, perhaps in another life, we will be granted more years. 🥺

SonSon & Benji 🐕✨✨🫶🏽

I have groomed both these gorgeous boys for the past 3 years and they both equally gained a very special place in my heart 🩵🩵

When SonSon first came to me he was a bit scared but loved a cuddle, he had never been professionally groomed before, but never put up a fight he just trusted me and the process. Before long we grew a friendship and bond and he was excited to come in, mostly for the treats I think 😂 He was quiet and gentle but had a cheeky side when you’d least expect it. 🥹

Benji didn’t love getting groomed to begin with, he had arthritis in his legs so would get a bit grumpy with me when I had to lift them up. Over our first few appointments I think Benji realised this grooming gig was going to keep happening & he began to enjoy coming. I would always pick him up and drop him off from his house & his little face would pop up at the window, tail wagging, eager to come with me. Even as he aged, he would jump around like a puppy when he came in. 🥹 At his last appointment a couple of weeks ago, we shared lots of cuddles and he proceeded to p*e on my lawn afterward about 20 times as he always does. 😂

I’m going to miss these two coming in so very much, when you spend a couple hours one on one with a dog every two months for 3 years, building your bond together and the trust, you really do create a special relationship with them.

Sending so much love to SonSon & Benji’s families, I know their homes will be feeling empty right now along with their hearts. They were both so incredibly loved and blessed to have the most wonderful families to be apart of. 🥺🩷

Rest in Peace SonSon & Benji 🐕 🐕 🕊️

30/01/2024

A couple of the gorgeous wee floofs I’ve had time to take photos of this week. 🖤🤍🐕

Nothing better than cuddles from my furry friends after their grooms 🤌🏼🫶🏽

17/01/2024

Price Structuring Update:

Last year in January 2023 I raised my starting prices by $5 and brought in a new structure to my invoicing, instead of having a set price for each size/service, I changed it to be dependent on each individual dog, their coat condition and length, grooming time, & temperament. I still kept the starting prices- which are stuck to provided the groom is within the allocated time frame & does not have any of the listed complications below.

EG: The majority of small full grooms I can have completed from start to finish in 1.5 hours, but another dog of the same size with a matted coat and/or a difficult temperament may take up to 2-2.5 hours. The invoice may not be the same with each groom if the time between appointments is longer which results in a more complicated groom, or your dog tolerates the grooming process better one groom to the next etc.

Despite me changing the structure a year ago I have not been implementing it with the majority of my longtime clients due to me feeling bad! (my own fault I suck at charging) It is not feasible for me to be earning $70 for two hours work, by the time I pay for the product, ACC, tax, insurance etc I am left with earning virtually nothing. I need to be harder on myself and be a business owner and a capable one, not trying to be everyone's best friend lol! I am not raising my prices, only charging accordingly to the work I do & also ensuring I keep it fair & the same with all my clients. If your dog is good to groom, takes me within the allocated time, their coat is in good condition you will be paying less than a dog that is opposite.

*FULL GROOM STARTING PRICES ARE BASED ON 6-10 WEEKLY REGULAR APPOINTMENTS, GROOMS THAT EXCEED THIS TIME PERIOD MAY INCUR EXTRA CHARGES DEPENDING ON THEIR COAT CONDITION;
EXTRA CHARGES MAY APPLY FOR:
- Difficult dogs -Matted dogs -Excess dirt/mud -Fleas
-Long Coats -Extra time taken

I try to keep my prices affordable, but it has become clear that I need to start sticking to my policies a bit better in order to continue running a competent business, rest assured my starting prices are still around $20 less than you would find up country, and compared to other services you may pay for, the hourly rate I earn/charge out is much lower as I want to keep it doable for my clients. But I also need to keep it doable for myself.

Also, consent forms are now all changed over from paper to digital to ensure all information is kept tidy and all together with your client/dogs profile, these will be emailed out the week of your booked grooms, it would be very much appreciated if you could please take 5 minutes to sign these when you receive them - you will only need to complete these once.

Thanks so much,
Kayla xx

16/01/2024

Sweet lil Bonnie 🫶🏽

Ruff Around The Edges Grooming