Taunya Van Allen has owned Winchester Kennels since 2016. Her kennel, located on 10 acres of land on Ormond Road, just south of Winchester, offers boarding, daycare, and grooming. There are both indoor and outdoor kennels, with indoor both heated and temperature controlled. Dogs get plenty of exercise, great care, and fun while they stay with Taunya. She welcomes large breed dogs, and dogs who may be challenging. Taunya also donates her time and space, and provides short-term boarding to rescue dogs when needed.
The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been hard on Taunya’s business. People aren’t vacationing or traveling, so dogs don’t need to be boarded. Many people are working from home, or aren’t working, so few dogs need daycare. Even when people are working, often family or friends are available to provide a midday break for a dog.
For those working long shifts, with an early start, or unconventional hours, Taunya offers self-check in, which allows the dog owner to drop the dog off at any time that is convenient. The owner can arrive or pick up whenever they need to. They put their dog in an assigned kennel and they can leave, knowing their pet will be well cared for when they are at work. This is great for many essential workers who are working long hours right now.
Many small business owners do not qualify for any of the government assistant programs. Rent subsidies don’t apply if you pay a mortgage rather than rent, for example. Most small business owners were not eligible for CERB, and are not eligible for CEB. Even some of the programs, such as the provincial grants for small businesses, match dollar for dollar, which is not helpful if you have very little revenue coming in.
