I love the dog and he is no problem. When I work out the hourly wage I am making less than 2.00 per hour. I have been home all day and have not left him alone. When should I charge more? I'm a loving person who loves having the dogs here but still wondering if the day care rate is worth it when the dog is left for so long.
Agreed - Even though we love dogs, calculating the hourly wage for actively focused canine care (especially when you're with the dog and not leaving alone) is depressing. The way I've handled it is to ask approx. start and end times when booking and generally give 2 hours grace period. So 8 or 9 hours daycare is regular daycare rate. After 10-12 hours, full overnight rate applies.
If you were a regular doggie daycare facility, you can bet that pickup times are quite stringent. Have you heard from the owner? Did you discuss your hours for daycare with this client before booking or at dropoff this morning? I don't know anybody who thinks "daycare" extends into the late evening.
If you feel that you can address this professionally with the owner, then I would tell them that their dog's stay was beyond daycare. Most people should be picking up their dogs by 5 or 6 pm. You may have to chalk this one up as a lost cause but make sure you tell future customers when your daycare services are available.
I would hope for a tip of some kind.