PENDLETON — Pupcakes made an update to its Facebook page while bracing for blowback.

In a 305-word post Feb. 2, the Pendleton dog grooming and boarding business thanked its customers for their support but also alluded to the prospect of losing clients. All of Pupcakes’ words were in service of announcing a policy change: The business now requires all customers to put their credit cards on file or prepay ahead of taking their dogs to Pupcakes.

Lesley Crosby recently explained why Pupcakes was changing its rules and why she expected an angry reaction from some corners of her customer base.

Crosby said she had considered implementing the policy in 2017 with the hopes it would curb missed appointments from clients. But she got heavy pushback from customers and shelved the idea.

During the early stages of the pandemic when many businesses were on lockdown, Crosby said customers grew more consistent about getting their dogs in on time, a trend she attributed to fewer people being at work.

“But as soon as the quarantine started to lift, it became its own pandemic of people missing appointments,” she said.

Crosby estimated Pupcakes dealt with 20 appointments last week where a customer failed to show up or cancel ahead of time. She said Pupcakes can try to bring in a waitlisted customer to fill the slot, but if they can’t make the last-minute time window, the missed appointment just turns into lost business.

“I hate to make those changes, but if we don’t, then we won’t be around in a year or two,” she said.

After announcing the new policy, Crosby said “98%” of the customers she talked with were understanding and supportive. But it’s not just a rash of no-show appointments that’s afflicting Pupcakes, but an increase in upset customers.

“Prior to the quarantine we would get one or two people that maybe were grumpy once in a while and now it’s like a daily basis where someone is so stressed out that we end up getting it taken out on us,” she said. “Whether it’s pricing or how long it took for us to get their dog done, it’s really hard to put into words how it seems that people have changed.”

Crosby said her staff got cursed at after Pupcakes raised its prices for dog nail clipping services. The business also was threatened with lawsuits after customers tried to redeem expired loyalty points. She added that some employees have left Pupcakes after receiving “verbal beatings” from customers.

The prices Pupcakes charges for its services can be a sticking point for irate customers. Crosby said Pupcakes is a “mom and pop” business with seven employees, including herself. The prices the business charges are what is needed to cover Pupcakes’ overhead costs, she said. While corporate pet stores such as Petco and PetSmart also offer grooming services, Crosby said most of their revenue is made through retail sales of pet products rather than grooming, an area where Pupcakes can’t compete.

Crosby said she started Pupcakes as a gourmet dog treat business in 2013, expanding into grooming in 2015 and then boarding and day care in 2016. She said she hopes Pupcakes’ new policy will lead to less stress and more opportunities to expand her business into new areas, such as a private dog park and training area.