Help Pawsh Dog Wash Grow

Hey everyone,

As most of the community knows, we have always strived to provide the best care to each animal that walks through our doors. Over the last 3 years we have been able to grow through tremendous support from our customers and neighbors while also being able to support other small businesses and providing care to local shelter pets and low-income housing families.

For anyone that has been with us since the beginning, it’s no secret we had the odds against us for success. Opening in the midst of Covid, being scammed by contractors, endless flooding incidents, our whole HVAC system breaking only a year and a half in, the previous tenants improperly installed outlets that we were left to repair after they broke shortly after moving into the space, and our whole self-serve ceiling needing replacement due to water damage within the first year to name a few. It has not been easy.

On top of the business being challenged and tried again and again, that was only half the battle. I have also endured more personal challenges since opening Pawsh. I have experienced 2 major car accidents (one completely totaling my car), emergency surgery for a tumor that took my ovary, being bounced around to multiple hospitals with a mysterious neurological issue only to be diagnosed a year later with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), having a hernia due to surgical scarring from my ovary procedure, and most recently finding out I have a blood disease. This doesn’t include the injuries obtained while just working in the shop as part of the job.

Despite all personal holdups, I have strived to continue prioritizing Pawsh and delivering the best care we possibly can (whether I’m present in the shop or not). Pawsh would be nowhere without the support of my friends, staff and most importantly the community. I want the shop to provide the best care we possibly can to the community and continue to provide services to local shelters without anyone having to worry about us going anywhere.

While I have no intention of going anywhere, I have to admit openly that Pawsh is growing faster than I can financially handle. Our water tank is no longer big enough to provide the warm water we require for the influx of pets we are seeing throughout the week. Our three tubs are no longer enough to balance both our grooming and our self-serve. Our tubs require maintenance that I cannot give. While loans have been suggested, Pawsh is still currently paying off loans that we had been forced to take due to all of the hurdles we have experienced and my continuous medical costs. Adding more financial strain would only hinder us from growing further.

It is with complete vulnerability and transparency that I am asking for help from our community to obtain a new water heater, new tub and provide the maintenance our tubs require as well as start a cushion of finances for my team when I inevitably have to leave for more medical procedures so that we can continue to provide the best care for your pets. We want to lower wait times, accept and accommodate more grooming appointments and make sure every pet that comes into our shop can have a comfortable bath and experience. Due to rising rent, fees, taxes, product costs, medical restraints and current debts being paid off, we will be unable to do these necessary tasks while simultaneously maintaining all these costs.

The Pawsh team and I know it is a big request and asking for help does not come easy to us. Anything helps during this time, even just continued support through word of mouth, liking our social media, stopping by for a quick service or just to say hi is more than appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mary and the Pawsh Team

UPDATE:

Our construction is officially complete and the legal work toward getting justice for the construction fraud we experienced is underway. We couldn't be more thankful for all of the endless support and help through donations, appointments and just sharing Pawsh with friends and family. While we were able to finish construction and mostly pay off our contractors, this sadly has put us behind in our rent. It is summer time and we are looking forward to fun events with everyone at our Bath & Brew and Wine & Wash, but we do no wish to fall further behind than we already are with our rent requirements.

Please continue to share our business, make appointments or even a $5 donation will help us finish catching up from the loss we took with our construction endeavors. Feel free to come on by for a self-serve, the waits are shorter or non-existent now thanks to our new tub! We look forward to seeing a bunch of muddy and happy pups this summer (and maybe some muddy owners too).

Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the support and love we have received from everyone. We hope to get caught up with everything and continue to provide care for everyones pets for years to come.