Sadly we closed on May 1, 2022 Thank you for all the memories!
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It is with a very heavy heart that I have to give you the news that House of Ruff will not be reopening its doors after the building maintenance has been completed. Covid really took a toll on us, as you know. And before I say anything else, I want to thank each and every one of you who has stayed with us through this roller coaster ride of navigating the many challenges of running a small business through the pandemic. YOU are the reason we have managed to keep our doors open these past two years especially, with your generosity, your encouragement and your kindness. When the pandemic first started, I did not know if we would even be able to open back up, and because of you not only did we open again, but we have grown in so many ways, making it even more heartbreaking to have to say goodbye after fighting so hard to survive through the worst of this disaster. When I first opened House of Ruff, my hope was to be an advocate for dogs, and to provide them a safe and fun place to be with other dogs, while giving their humans a trustworthy place to leave them to play and stay when you need extra care for them, or just a break for yourselves. My dream was to offer something unique with more individualized attention to set dogs up for success. I wanted to make a difference in dogs lives. All these years later, we have met, cared for and become so fond of literally thousands of your beloved four-legged loved ones, and they have become part of our own extended family. The thought of not seeing them again, and even more of them not seeing their friends here again, is really heart crushing, and I know it also will place an extra burden on all of you who have counted on us to be that home away from home for your pets. Knowing that, I want you to know that I did everything I possibly could to keep House of Ruff open for you despite the extreme challenges that the pandemic presented. This included applying for and receiving every kind of assistance that was available to us, making big and constant changes to what we were able to offer and how to do it safely for everyone, and also humbly asking for and accepting every kind of support you all have offered to us as well. There have never been words enough to thank you for all you have done to keep us in your community, and it has been an incredible experience to feel so appreciated and supported by so many of you through such a trying time. Despite all of this, we simply cannot recover from the many months of lost or diminished income and the increase in costs to run a small business in the city. The loans we had to take out in order to cover the cost of rent and other fixed expenses even when we were unable to operate at full capacity, and the accumulation of deferred rent for the time when we could not be open at all – these are debts that we are just never going to be able to repay without raising our fees beyond what is even reasonable to ask of you. In the past several months I also did try to find new ownership for the business, and was repeatedly told that our concept, our facility and our client base was exceptional and incredibly enticing to many different potential buyers, only to have multiple sales and investor possibilities fall through at the last minute because of the Covid related debt that we cannot get forgiven. It seems that even now, we are still on a roller coaster ride of great hope and disappointment, and due to uncompensated, extended closures for facility improvements, I realized it was inevitable that the ride would finally come to an end. House of Ruff has exhausted every other option and unfortunately has been left with no other choice but to declare bankruptcy, dissolve the business and hope for a positive outcome in the legal battles ahead with the landlord.. The pandemic is not over and I hope people realize that. Please take care of one another and stay positive and healthy. Support your local small business as much as possible because COVID has continued to reck havoc on many.
