'Twas the night before check-in, and all through the place,
Not a kennel was open, not even one crate.
The leashes were hung by the front desk with care,
In hopes that the morning crew soon would be there.
The prep lists were checked, then reviewed once more,
Emergency contacts taped by each door.
The schedule was final (well, changed once or twice),
Payment details were sent to clients with price.
The building was ready, each bed fluffed just right,
With treats laid out for the inevitable night
When someone decides, at exactly noon,
That "Fido eats only if you hum him a tune.”
The fridges were stocked with raw, kibble, and cans,
Each labeled with names in three different hands.
The lobby stood perfect (too perfect, in fact),
Every tag neatly sorted, each waiver intact.
Overnight pets were asleep their pens,
While a suspicious calm hung, like we’d tempted fate’s grin.
When from my desk top, there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to the office to see what was the matter.
Then suddenly DING from the system so bright,
A sound no one wants in the dead of the night.
Not a bark, not a scratch, not a late pickup call…
But a notification, the worst one of all!
The chart showed one number too many in red,
My stomach dropped straight to the tips of my dread.
Overbooked. It was happening. The day of all days.
I stared at the screen and just whispered, “No way.”
I retraced each click, each count, each late add,
Checked rooms, checked runs... this math can’t be bad.
I braced for the scramble, the calls, the regret,
The “We’ll make it work” when we promised we wouldn’t forget.
Then there it was... quiet, polite, and quite small:
A note in the system I’d missed after all.
Not overbooked chaos, not limits betrayed,
Just one lucky pup bumped from the waitlist — upgrade!
I exhaled. I laughed. I fixed one small line.
The numbers were right, capacity still fine.
Crisis averted, no rules had been bent,
Just the sweetest sound yet:
"I'm here!" from overnight manager Meg
With the thermos of coffee they drink on the reg.
They spoke not a word, but went straight to the whiteboard,
And reviewed the next clients on their own accord.
They checked every latch, every alarm, every gate,
Left notes for the openers, clear, concise, great.
With a nod and a sigh that said, “We’re prepared,”
They told me "Go home, get some rest, and take care,"
And as I walked outside confident in my team,
I whispered a wish filled with one hopeful dream: