Dear Students,
The State of Emergency/Stay at Home Order starting on January 14th has changed things for us again. As a result, When Hounds Fly’s services will be shifting once again to comply with the latest provincial order and municipal guidelines.
Please continue reading below for options & next steps for your program. Most, if not all, of the answers to your questions should be here. We are anticipating a very high number of emails/help requests, and while of course we are always happy to help, you will most likely get answers much faster by reading below.
What are my next steps as a student scheduled into group classes in January?
Step 1: we will remove you from all your January classes, returning those credits. It is a tedious manual process, but should be complete by end of day today (Tuesday).
Step 2: As the state of emergency is extended, we will periodically remove registrations made into brick-and-mortar/in-person classes – please check on those and reschedule them if needed. Pay special attention to Modules 6 and 7, which should be taken last.
Step 3: Take Action –
OPTION A) Self service, book into virtual classes. Virtual classes are a fantastic way to continue your dog’s education while staying safely home. We will be running virtual Foundation Skills and Puppy Socialization classes throughout lockdown and beyond. For Puppy Socialization students, you may also choose to join our Outdoor Socially Distant Group Walk sessions.
Please save this link, it’s the Virtual Class Calendar for you to book!
OPTION B) Email to request a switch to private lessons, and have your unused credit balances applied as a credit towards a private lesson package. We can help you address your particular training questions 1-on-1, outdoors & physically distanced. If you’d like to switch to private lessons, please reply to this email, and include: the email address you signed up with, your home address or nearest intersection, and your main training concerns to address. We will then match you with an instructor, and invoice you any difference in cost.
Want to know more about private lessons (cost, availability, etc)? Please read here for Fear/Anxiety/Aggression issues, and here for Foundation Skills or Puppy Socialization 1-on-1.
OPTION C) Hang on to your credits and book in once lockdown is over. We will extend your credit completion timeframe by the length of the lockdown (ie, if lockdown is 1 month long, your timeframe will be extended by 1 month).
Some last notes…
Refund policy: as a small business that for a second time will be seriously affected by restrictions to our ability to operate and cover our payroll and expenses, we would ask that you respect our long standing no-refund policy, and be open to letting us serve you in ways that we are able to.
Timing of resumption of in-person group classes: Current information states the Stay at Home order will extend at least until February 11, 2021.
Timing of replies to emails: our admin team will be doing the best they can to keep up with the high number of requests. Please be patient as we help each student to the best of our abilities!
Thank you very much for your understanding. Your careful attention to the above makes you our most favourite student!
Happy New Year, and may you and yours stay healthy and happy through these times.
Best,
Claire Kilburn
When Hounds Fly