The Pucci School Bus
Due to our location tucked away in the Normandale hills and our consent, all pooches must be picked up and dropped off by our bus service, saving you all the hassle and work. Unfortunately we do not allow drop offs and pick ups from our location as stated above. Due to this service all pooches attending Pucci must come at least once a week on a permanent basis. This is so that we can run an efficient and safe service for your pooches to thrive in. We have four buses that service the Hutt Valley, fitted out with custom made cages for the safety of our riders made from heavy duty steel. All vans are equipped with emergency equipment if there were to me an emergency situation. This includes a set of emergency leads, water and first aid. All our vans have air conditioning and large windows so that our pooches are kept at the right temperature during their journey.
All pooches who attend Pucci will be trained and taught our van "etiquette". From the first day, we teach them what we expect when riding on the bus. This starts with sit, stay and down. Upon arrival at Pucci, we also practice opening up the van doors and asking everyone to sit and lay down. When everyone is relaxed they are then allowed to leave the bus. We also work hard with our pooches during their day at Pucci working on all their basics so that when it comes to the real world, we can then use these important tools.
Our school buses leave Normandale at 7am sharp to service the Hutt Valley, arriving back at 9am. We then head back out in the afternoon around 2.30-2.45pm to ensure we have your pooches home in time for when you get home from work. Our pick up and drop off times may vary and can change at any given time, due to the way our service runs. If there is going to be a significant change owners will be notified.
Each pooch will ride in an appropriate cubicle to their size. We have three large cubical areas, one in the middle, primarily used for our Big Blossoms. We then have two back cubicles for our Little Buddies or for our more senior riders. On your pooches first day, they will get one of our back cubicles to themselves so that they feel comfortable and safe in their new surroundings.
Prior to your pooches first day we will ensure we have all your details, including pick up and drop off details. This must include any specific details we may need to know about your house and where your pooch is kept. If your pooch is kept inside, we prefer that we have a key to access the house, the safest way is to make us a copy as we often worry about ones that are left out. Your keys are kept in a safe location at all times. Once your pooch has been allocated a spot on our bus run, we can then provide you with an estimated time of arrival for pick up and drop off.
On your pooches first day out, you will receive a text when the Pucci bus is heading your way, with some details on how the pick up will work. We kindly ask that all parents follow the instructions. This ensures that our bus runs are run efficiently, as we want our pooches on board for a limited time. Due to recent Covid-19 policy's, we have made our pick ups and drop offs contactless. We take great care to ensure your pooches feel safe on their first day out with us and ensuring they feel comfortable getting on board the bus. Our handlers will come and introduce themselves to your pooch, before whisking them away for an awesome day out. We will use our own equipment to do so, so no leads/harnesses are to be sent. We then say our good byes at the door and kindly ask that you do not approach our bus for health and safety purposes. Once we arrive at Pucci and your pooch has settled in, you will get an update on their day so far along with some amazing photos. Once your pooch settles into the Pucci ways, you will find they get very excited when we arrive and we often call it the "party bus" as they just love getting on board and being with one another for the ride. When we head back out in the afternoon we will also send you a text when we are heading your way so you know we have come and gone safely with your pooch. Sometimes they don't want to get off at the end of the day...signs of a good day out. Pucci also now has its own school bus QR code, this is available via email or on our facebook and website. We highly encourage all parents to sign their pooch in via the QR code on their day that they attend, so you have a record of us coming and going through the Covid-19 app.