When you’re starting off a business, you want to be on your absolute best behaviour. Every single job needs to be utterly stellar, so you’ll get good word of mouth.

I don’t really know if that’s true, but it does sound true. So when I get summoned to an appointment with a prospective client who wants their pets wed in holy matrimony, I’m not going to go ‘yeah, cool’ and spend an hour on my phone before dragging myself off the sofa. I’m there. Like, SO there. Two hours beforehand (at least), all neat and presentable.

In light of that, it’s kind of important that I keep my car in good shape. Fortunately, here in the Bentleigh area, car service professionals are plentiful, and I’ve got my go-to place all lined up in my phone for if something goes wrong. I also have super-secret backups all around there if it ever comes to that. Like, maybe one day there’s going to be a huge parade in Bentleigh, and all the roads will be closed.

I’ve just been called to the wedding planning meeting of the century; maybe a couple of royal Indian tigers have just gotten engaged and they need someone to plan and officiate the wedding. But alas! My engine splutters, and there’s a huge parade covering Bentleigh today, so no one can get their car in for servicing! Not to worry, because I have backups in both directions.

I’m all over this, clearly. Maybe I’m just a little bit paranoid because my business is new and I want to make a good impression, but isn’t that just everyone? It’s just how it goes in the pet wedding planning game. The one who succeeds is the one with the most accessible car mechanic, close to Bentleigh and ready to get on the job at a moment’s notice. And of course, I keep emergency veils, tuxedos and vows in my car in case I meet any animals who happen to be eloping. There’s no money in those jobs, but sometimes the heart wants freedom.

-Ashleigh