Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

49 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org we are able to provide space few other businesses like ours can match. This space is designed so we can deliver over- night boarding, play times, and daycare regardless of the weather in a safe, secure, and healthy environment. Dogs are by nature pack animals so being in a group with other dogs is instinctually normal for them and they love it! Our play groups are sorted into compatible groups by size and temperament and are ALWAYS led by a human who is the 'Pack Leader'. The 'Pack Leader' is the one in charge of the group, which means the members of the group don't have to compete for a dominate position. They can relax and romp and play as a member of the pack. Happy Tails Lodge pioneered off-leash supervised pack play here in Great Falls 10 years ago and today it is what we are known for. What has been your biggest success? As with most successful businesses the success we've enjoyed is not the result of a single event or a 'grand slam' home run so to speak. Rather, it's been days and years of delivering the services we told our customers we'd deliver and expanding the services we offer to fill the demand of our customers. Our daycare is a case in point. It started with a phone call. A lady called and said she was going to be in town for work for several weeks, she wanted to bring her dog with her but didn't want to leave it in the motel room each day while she was at work. "Do you do daycare?" Although we never had, we said yes, and we were in the daycare business! Today we have one of the largest and most successful daycares in the region. What has been your biggest challenge? In a business class Katy took in college, her professor told them, "When you start a business the money is the easy part, because money follows good ideas. If you have a good idea, you'll be able to raise the money to get started and identify customers who will support it. The challenge you'll always have is finding the right people to assist you in delivering the goods or services that are the result of your idea." When Katy heard the professor say this, she knew he didn't know what he was talking about, because raising the money seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Looking back today she is in full agreement with what he said. Over the years we have been blessed with some incredible employees. People who love pets and Happy Tails as much as we do and are willing to go above and beyond for our customers. These people are a core strength for Happy Tails Lodge and we are always on the lookout for our next great employee! What are your plans for 2022 or in the future to grow and develop your business? The next service we plan on adding is a 'Self-Service Dog Wash', in early 2022. Watch for further announcements! Our pet transportation service has seen rapid expansion, we will be adding a second "Dog Bus" also in early 2022. We are always working on getting better at what we do, employee training, cleaning protocols, etc. We have several building and landscaping projects which will allow us to deliver our services more safely and efficiently. What have you done to overcome the challenge(s) of 2020/2021? Have you been able to turn any of it into opportunities? How has it changed your way of doing business? 2020/2021 has brought into sharper focus how much we appreciate our customers, our employees and our community. We are so blessed to be part of a community that really cares about their people and their businesses! During the lock down in 2020, we had numerous people ask, "How are you doing?" Not because they were nosey, but because they care, and they could see what was happening to so many small businesses in the community. This summer it was no secret staffing was a challenge for many businesses, and we were no exception. But our employees really stepped up, at times putting in 6- or 7-day weeks. They went above and beyond allowing us to deliver the quality of care our customers expect! Over the past 36 years, there have been plenty of challenges and opportunities. As our community has grown, so has Happy Tails Lodge. We want to express our sincere appreciation to all those who have helped Happy Tails Lodge become what it is today, the premier pet services business in the region! Photo by Photo Solutions F E AT U R E D Q & A

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