A local dog groomer is reacting to news from the province that grooming businesses are being reopened.
The province announced Thursday that pet grooming businesses are allowed to reopen, under the condition that they only provide services that prevent an animal from going to the vet or that an owner is required to have done under the Animal Welfare Act.
Kathryn Pentland of Furrific Dog Grooming says many pet owners are anxious to have their animal groomed as soon as possible.
“There’s a lot of dogs out there that are really suffering,” Pentland said. “Their nails are extremely overgrown, they’ve got significant matting. I have a host of dogs that come to me, like other groomers do, that do have medical issues that need to be attended to and I’m very excited that they are going to be able to get some relief.”
Pentland says there are challenges ahead like getting supplies that comply with health guidelines and rehiring staff that was lost in the shutdown.
She says reopening is not as simple as flipping a switch.
“We need to make sure we have all the supplies we need,” she said. “Everybody wants to be the first one in. We’re still trying to balance getting them all in, prioritizing who needs grooming first and following all the COVID-protocols to make sure everyone is safe.”
The province says businesses can only provide service by appointment, they can only make one appointment per animal at a time and they can provide curbside pickup and drop off of the animal.
Pentland says despite that, she’s relieved to finally have some clarity on how to move forward.
“My house is custom built to accommodate the salon,” Pentland adds. “It gets to a point where if you can’t pay your mortgage, not only do you lose your house but you lose your business too. It has been insanely stressful, I can’t articulate how scary it has been.”
