Setting facility rules

Every facility has policies. No aggressive dogs. Current vaccinations required. Certain breeds you cannot accommodate because of insurance or space constraints. Petsoft lets you enforce some of these rules automatically so your front desk does not have to make awkward phone calls.

Restricted breeds

Go to Organization > Settings > Restricted Breeds.

You can add breeds to a restricted list. When a customer tries to book online with a restricted breed, the portal blocks the request and tells them to call you.

This does not delete the customer or their pet from your system. It just stops online bookings for that specific pet. Your staff can still book manually if you decide to make an exception.

note

Breed identification is based on what the customer enters during signup. If they list their dog as a "mixed breed" when it is actually a restricted breed, the system will not catch it automatically. Your intake process should include a visual check.

Organization rules

Rules are broader than breed restrictions. They control behavior across the whole system.

Go to Organization > Settings > Rules to configure them.

Some common rules:

Rule	What it does
Require current vaccinations	Blocks booking if any required vaccine is expired
Require signed agreement	Blocks booking if the customer has not signed the current agreement
Minimum booking notice	Stops same-day or next-day online bookings
Maximum booking window	Limits how far in advance someone can book
Auto-approve online requests	Skips the approval step for trusted customers

You can turn each rule on or off independently. If you are just starting out, we recommend turning on the vaccination and agreement rules first. Those two protect you from the most common problems.

Minimum notice and maximum window

These two rules control the timing of online bookings.

Minimum notice is useful if you need time to prepare. If you set it to 24 hours, a customer cannot book a stay that starts today. They have to book for tomorrow or later. If you set it to 72 hours, they have to plan ahead.

Maximum window prevents customers from booking a year in advance and then forgetting about it. Most facilities set this to 90 or 180 days.

These rules only apply to the parent portal. Your staff can book any date from the admin side.

Rule exceptions

Sometimes you want to break your own rules for a specific customer. Maybe they are a long-time regular and you trust them to bring updated shot records on drop-off day.

You can add an exception from the customer profile. Open the customer, go to the Settings tab, and check the boxes for which rules to bypass. The system will still warn you, but it will let the booking through.

Use exceptions sparingly. If you find yourself creating exceptions for the same customer every month, you should probably just ask them to update their records.

Insurance and liability

Restricted breed lists and organization rules are not just about convenience. Many insurance policies require you to maintain certain policies in writing. If you ever have a claim, being able to show that Petsoft enforced your rules automatically can help your case.

Keep your rules updated. If your insurance policy changes and now covers breeds it did not cover before, remove them from the restricted list. If you add a new vaccine requirement, add it to the rules immediately so customers are not caught off guard.