Special Dates - Highlight/Block Checkins/Checkout and Block all Bookings for Specific Date Ranges

Special Dates can be used to manage scheduling exceptions and visual cues within the system. They support a variety of functions, including:

Blocking Check-ins/Check-outs - Prevent customer arrivals or departures on specific dates — e.g. block check-ins and check-outs on 25/12 to avoid Christmas Day bookings.

Blocking Specific Pens - Temporarily disable bookings for selected pens or blocks — e.g. during maintenance, block all bookings for a defined date range

Highlighting Dates on the Scheduler - Visually mark important dates with a different background colour — e.g. highlight a special event or internal notice to alert staff on the scheduler.

In This Article

• Add Special Date
• Bulk Special Days
• Showing Special Dates on Scheduler/Date Pickers
• Special Dates Overview

To manage Special Dates go to Settings > Customization

Then navigate to Special Dates in the left side menu.

Top right there are two options to Add - Bulk Special Days and Add Special Date

Tip; Add Special Date — this is the primary tool for managing date-specific settings. While Bulk Special Days is still available, it’s less commonly used now that Opening Hours can handle most scenarios. 

Add Special Date

Name - Enter a clear label for the Special Date (e.g. Christmas 2024, Maintenance Block – April, Staff Training Day)

Location -  For Multi-Site accounts, select the specific site this Special Date should apply to. If no location is selected, the rule will apply across all locations by default.

Start - Defines the first date of the period. This marks when the rule or setting becomes active.

End - Defines the date on which the period ends. 

Method - you have 5 options

• All - Block all Areas and Pens for the selected dates
• Area Types - Block only a certain Area Type - e.g. Daycare or Boarding
• Areas - Block only a certain Area - eg. Cattery or Kennel
• Items - Enables you to select a specific Pen or group of Pens to block. Commonly used for maintenance periods or when only certain Pens need to be excluded from bookings.
• Extra Types - Use this option to block a specific Extra from all bookings within the defined date range. This ensures the Extra cannot be added to any booking during that period.
  Note The Special Date Block Type field is fixed and cannot be modified when applying this block

Depending on the selected Method, the system will display the relevant configuration options.

Special Date Type - Select one of three options to help manage your schedule: Closed, Maintenance, or Public Holiday. These are just for internal use — customers won’t see them.

Special Date Block Type - you have 3 options

• Block All Bookings - Creates a block that no booking can cross. This is utilised where you wish to prevent bookings across a certain date range. e.g. Where you are going on holidays and closing the facility
• Block Checkins/Checkout - Prevents checkins/checkouts on the selected date range. Utilised where you don't want to allow checkins/checkout on those dates but still want to allow bookings to cross those dates. e.g. Christmas Day
• Highlight - Does not block any Pens but simply highlights with a different background colour on the scheduler so staff can see a special date range at a glance.

Block Method - Enables you to control which pets are affected by the blocked dates. Select All to apply the block universally, or Animal Breeds to target specific breeds. When Animal Breeds is selected, the system will prompt you to choose from available breed options.

Portal Only - Use this checkbox to control where the block applies:

• Checked – The block affects Customer Portal bookings only; admin users can still book.
• Unchecked – The block applies system-wide, preventing staff from booking through the admin as well.

Active - When ticked, the block is enabled and will take effect as configured

Once edited press the Save button bottom right  .

Bulk Special Days

This screen is made available so you can block certain days of the week for an entire calendar year.

The difference to Add Special Date above is that there is a selector for the days and the year instead of a specific date range.

With the ability to set service-specific opening hours (e.g. Daycare vs. Boarding), this block function is now rarely used. To restrict availability, simply avoid adding opening hours for the relevant days or areas.

This block method remains valuable for recurring restrictions — such as preventing bookings for an Extra Type service on specific days (e.g. every Monday) throughout the year.

Showing Special Dates on Scheduler/Date Pickers

When added, Special Dates appear on both the Scheduler and Date Pickers, highlighted in the relevant colour. A legend on the Scheduler explains what each colour represents, and this applies consistently across both views. On the Scheduler, you can hover over a day to see the name of the Special Date assigned.

Examples

Scheduler - Showing Blocked Checkins/Checkouts.

Date Picker - Showing Blocked Checkins/Checkouts.

Date Picker - showing Highlighted Date.

Special Dates Overview

After creating a new Special Date, it will appear in the Overview Panel. From here, you can quickly edit key settings such as the Name, Start Date, and End Date. You can also enable or disable Portal Only and the Active status by selecting the relevant checkboxes. If needed, you can delete a Special Date directly from the Overview Panel.

You can use the Clone Next Year option to carry forward an existing Special Date. This will create a duplicate entry on the same dates in the next calendar year, saving you from re-entering recurring dates manually.

The Show Past option will allow you to see Special Dates that were in the past. They are hidden by default. You can also turn on Show Inactive to show Special Dates that have been marked Inactive.

To view more information on;

Using Special Hours view - Special Hours - Add Special Opening Hours for Certain Dates