It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Paws-itively Healthy. March 19th was our last day of operations.

It became obvious over the past 6 months that it was time for Shaun and Jill to pass the ownership torch to someone who could take the history we built and transform it to entirely new levels. We talked with several interested folks and finally found a couple who we felt were perfectly suited to assume ownership of the business and continue to provide a level of service even better than what we could provide.

Unfortunately, Franconia Township has recently decided to block the ownership transition and informed us they will not allow us to transfer ownership to anyone. They’ve also determined that, despite the fact that absolutely zero complaints have ever been filed with the township, and the fact that we have passed all of our bi-annual state inspections without issues, Paws-itively Healthy cannot house more than 10 dogs at any given time. To put it simply, this is not financially sustainable.

We feel this is a clear case of local government overreach. We also feel this is a clear indication that Franconia Township does not value small businesses nor do they value the employees of small businesses. Sadly, there is no real accountability for the local townships unless folks are prepared to gamble tens of thousands of dollars to undergo a lengthy appeals process.

There is no possible way we can express the appreciation felt in our hearts for every single customer who has entrusted us with their dogs. We appreciate the long standing customers with whom we’ve developed friendships over the years and we are thankful that we had the opportunity to hang out with your amazing pets.

In closing, we implore folks to have a keen awareness of what’s going on in your local government. The amount of improper and baseless regulations, the amount of exorbitant fees, and the amount of outright extortion that takes place on the local government level is absolutely staggering. But far too many folks don’t pay any attention because they are consumed with National level politics. We would suggest it’s the township/borough politicians that have a much greater negative impact on our daily lives.

One last thing… if you have recently purchased daycare credits, please contact Jill at jstouffer@paws-itivelyhealthy.com. And if you have any questions about the closure, we encourage you to reach out.

Thank you again for the privilege and the honor of being able to care for your pets for the past 15 years.

Sincerely,

Shaun & Jill