How K9 University Chicago runs payroll, scheduling, and compliance in one place

K9 University Chicago is one of the city’s largest doggy daycares (up to 180 dogs in the facility on a busy day) and has been running for 30+ years. Mariya, the COO, manages a 45 person staff in an environment that never stops. Between client calls, employee questions, and care for the dogs, there’s little time for admin work.

Payroll and scheduling were eating hours she couldn’t spare. After switching to Rippling, she consolidated everything into one platform and saved 5 hours every pay period.

The Challenge

Manual payroll with no safety net

Before Rippling, K9 University ran payroll on Corporate Payroll, a local Chicago tool with limited functionality. Every pay period, Mariya had to open her timesheets and check each entry one by one. With 45 employees clocking in and out every day, one easily missed entry meant a wrong paycheck.

Scheduling built on paper

The team managed employee schedules in Microsoft Word, typing every shift manually, printing it out, and handling changes on paper. If an employee needed to swap a shift, it had to be handled in person or edited on the printed copy.

No room for admin in a facility that never stops

Running one of Chicago’s busiest doggy daycares doesn’t leave room for admin work. There’s no quiet moment in a facility with 180 dogs. To run payroll or build the schedule, Mariya would sometimes have to step out of the facility just to focus.

On top of payroll and scheduling, leave tracking was manual too. Every time an employee requested sick leave, Mariya calculated the hours by hand.

The Solution

When Mariya evaluated her options, she originally looked at scheduling-only tools. But then she noticed Rippling covered everything in one place: payroll, scheduling, time tracking, benefits, and compliance training.

Payroll that catches problems automatically

Rippling flags time-clock issues automatically. If a time entry is off, Mariya is alerted right away. The 30–45 minutes she spent reviewing entries every pay period is now gone, and she no longer has to stress about whether payroll is accurate.

Scheduling without the paper edits

Replacing paper schedules with Rippling meant the team could post schedules, make updates, and communicate changes without printing anything. Mariya has the peace of mind that everything is up to date, and employees can see their schedule and stay on top of changes.

Automated compliance and leave tracking

Rippling also calculates sick and paid leave automatically. Employees request time off in the app, and it syncs directly into the schedule.

One platform for payroll, scheduling, and compliance

Previously, K9 University ran payroll, scheduling, leave tracking, and compliance training in four separate systems. Rippling replaced all of them. Everything now runs on one platform, off one employee record. A new hire or a pay rate update used to mean changes in multiple systems. Now, Mariya makes the change once.

The Impact

Getting time back

Mariya saved 5 hours every pay period across payroll, scheduling, and time-entry review. She used to spend an hour a week checking time entries, and now just spends minutes. Switching to digital scheduling saved another hour a week. Before Rippling, a schedule change meant finding the printed copy and editing by hand. Now, Mariya posts the update in the app and the whole team sees it.

Ease of use for everyone

For a staff of 45 that’s not particularly tech-savvy, adoption was easy. Employees use the Rippling app to see their schedules, clock in, and manage their own requests.