Creating a new walking booking

Transactions

Editing an Invoice

Walking Basics

Walking Dashboard

Transport settings

Receipting a deposit against a booking

Using transport

Owner Credit and Overpayments

Receipting payments

Getting started with Grooming

Scheduling and managing appointments

Toubleshooting grooming

Release Notes - Jan 2026

Creating Credit Notes

Applying Credit Notes

Refunding Owners

Owner Statements

Release Notes - March 2026

Getting Started

Archiving Pets and Owners

Blockout Dates

Concession Cards

Communication

Company Details

Creating a new booking for boarding or daycare

Customer Reviews

Extra Services and Products

Importing from your old software

Pet Breeds

Pet Notes

Spaces

Users and User Roles

Vaccines

Vets

Setting up a Walking Group

Pricing

Cancelling bookings

No cost (zero/free) bookings

Xero Integration

Stripe Integration

Payment on Booking

General FAQ

General

Company Setup

Running your business

Boarding

Daycare

Grooming

Transport

Walking

Release Notes

Archive

<h2>Dashboard Overview</h2><h2>Introduction</h2><p>The Dashboard is your central hub for managing daily operations in Hounds &amp; Hippos. From this screen, you can monitor pet check-ins and check-outs, view bookings, track tasks, and access all major features of the software.</p><p><img src="https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/dda61139-22d4-41bd-a8b1-fdb214a023a8" alt=""></p><hr><h2>Quick Stats Overview</h2><p>At the top of your dashboard, you'll find key metric cards that provide an at-a-glance view of your operations:</p><p>Displays:</p><ul><li><strong>Total arrivals expected</strong>: Number of pets scheduled to check in today</li><li><strong>In House</strong>: How many of those have already checked in</li><li><strong>Departures:</strong> Number of pets scheduled to check out today.</li><li><strong>Total pending</strong>: Bookings awaiting confirmation</li><li><strong>On Stand By</strong>: Number of grooming clients waiting for an earlier appointment slot</li><li><strong>Pets in Unassigned Spaces</strong>: Pets that haven't been assigned to a specific group or space yet.</li><li><strong>Number of tasks</strong>: Outstanding tasks that need completion</li><li><strong>Warnings</strong>: Any alerts or items requiring immediate attention. This may be pets that are overdue for check out.</li></ul><hr><h2>Dashboard Tabs</h2><p>The dashboard features five tabs that filter your view of current bookings:</p><h3>Checking In &amp; Out (Default View)</h3><p>This is your primary working view, showing all pets expected to arrive or depart today. Use this tab to:</p><ul><li>Check pets in when they arrive</li><li>Check pets out when they leave</li><li>Monitor arrival and departure times</li><li>Process payments</li></ul><h3>In House</h3><p>Displays all pets currently on your premises. This gives you a complete view of who is in your care at any moment.</p><p><strong>Best used for:</strong></p><ul><li>Taking attendance</li><li>Emergency situations requiring a quick headcount</li><li>End-of-day verification</li></ul><h3>Pending</h3><p>Shows bookings that haven't been confirmed yet. These require your review and approval before becoming active bookings.</p><p><strong>Action required:</strong></p><ul><li>Review booking details</li><li>Confirm or decline the booking</li><li>Communicate with pet owners if needed</li></ul><h3>Unassigned</h3><p>Lists pets that have been checked in but haven't been assigned to a specific space, group, or staff member (if your facility uses these features).</p><p><strong>Action required:</strong></p><ul><li>Assign pets to appropriate spaces</li><li>Allocate pets to play groups</li><li>Ensure all pets have proper placement</li></ul><h3>Stand-by</h3><p>Shows grooming clients who have requested to be contacted if an earlier appointment becomes available.</p><p><strong>How to use:</strong></p><ul><li>Check this list when appointments are cancelled</li><li>Contact clients to offer the available slot</li><li>Convert stand-by bookings to confirmed appointments</li></ul><hr><h2>Pet List View</h2><p>The main section of the dashboard displays individual pet bookings in an easy-to-read list format.</p><h3>Information Displayed</h3><p>Each pet entry shows:</p><ul><li><strong>Pet photo and name</strong> (e.g., "Chacha")</li><li><strong>Owner name</strong> (e.g., "Allison Wilkes")</li><li><strong>Service type badge</strong> (e.g., "Daycare" with building icon)</li><li><strong>Price</strong> displayed in green (e.g., "$0.00"). This is any money owing.</li><li><strong>Check-in time</strong> (e.g., "In 8:00am") with arrival icon</li><li><strong>Check-out time</strong> (e.g., "Out 4:00pm") with departure icon</li><li><strong>Options menu</strong> for additional actions such as taking payment.</li></ul><h3>Visual Indicators</h3><p><strong>Status Icons:</strong></p><ul><li>✓ <strong>Green checkmark</strong>: Pet has been checked in</li><li>💲 <strong>Price colors</strong>: Green ($0.00) indicates paid or no charge; Red indicates amount due</li></ul><h3>Quick Actions</h3><p>From each pet entry, you can:</p><ol><li><strong>Click the pet name</strong> - View full pet details</li><li><strong>Click check-in/out times</strong> - Process check-in or check-out</li><li><strong>Click Options</strong> - Access additional actions (modify booking, etc.)</li></ol><hr><h2>Top Navigation Bar</h2><h3>Search Function</h3><p>The search bar allows you to quickly find:</p><ul><li>Pet names</li><li>Owner names</li><li>Booking references</li><li>Phone numbers</li></ul><p><strong>Tip:</strong> Start typing to see instant results. If a pet or owner has not made a booking, you can still perform a <strong>quick check-in</strong> by using the search function, finding the relevant pet, and clicking the quick check-in icon beside it.</p><h3>New Booking Button</h3><p>The blue "+ New Booking" button in the top right creates a new reservation. Click this to start the booking process for any service type.</p><h3>Quick Service Filters</h3><p>The four pill-shaped buttons provide one-click filtering:</p><ul><li><strong>Boarding</strong> - View only boarding bookings</li><li><strong>Daycare </strong>- View daycare bookings (number shows current count)</li><li><strong>Grooming </strong>- View grooming appointments (number shows current count)</li><li><strong>Walking</strong> - View walking services</li></ul><hr><h2>Multi Action Button</h2><p>Located at the bottom right of the arrivals/departures section, the "Multi Action" button allows you to perform bulk operations on multiple pets at once.</p><p><strong>Common uses:</strong></p><ul><li>Check in multiple pets simultaneously</li><li>Send group notifications</li><li>Apply bulk updates</li></ul><hr><h2>Left Sidebar Navigation</h2><p>The purple sidebar provides access to all major sections of the software:</p><ul><li><strong>🏠 Dashboard</strong> - Return to this main view</li><li><strong>📅 Calendar</strong> - View bookings in calendar format</li><li><strong>🚶 Walking</strong> - Manage walking services</li><li><strong>🚗 Transport</strong> - Handle pickup/delivery services</li><li><strong>👤 Owners</strong> - Access pet owner details</li><li><strong>🐕 Pets</strong> - View all pet profiles</li><li><strong>💰 Transactions</strong> - Financial records and payments</li><li><strong>📊 Reporting</strong> - Generate business reports and analytics</li></ul><hr><h2>Best Practices</h2><p><strong>Start of Day:</strong></p><ol><li>Review the "Checking In &amp; Out" tab</li><li>Review "In House" tab to ensure expected pets are shown.</li><li>Check the "Unassigned" tab to ensure all spaces are allocated</li><li>Print "Daily Report" in the Reports menu area if you need a printed version of which pets are checking in and out today.</li></ol><p><strong>During the Day:</strong></p><p>4. Keep the dashboard open for quick check-ins/check-outs</p><p>5. Monitor the "In House" count for accurate attendance</p><p>6. Address any items in "Pending" that require confirmatio</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>End of Day:</strong></p><p>7. Verify all expected check-outs have been processed 8.</p><p>Review "In House" tab to confirm overnight guests</p><p>9. Check "Tasks Due" for any incomplete items</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

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