Dobby
From This Week News [OHIO]
By KAITLYN MCGARVEY / Reporter
Posted Aug 9, 2020 at 12:01 AM
Regardless of age or region, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way of life of every person in the world. Statewide, Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order was what first signaled intense change in the lives of many Ohioans.
Locally, while furry friends were certainly a perk of working from home for some, Summit County pet care businesses had to work hard to adapt to this new situation.
Shania Coward, owner of Wiggle Butt Inn, 3290 Graham Road in Stow, opened her business in January 2018. Had the pandemic occurred in her first year of operation, she said, it likely would not have survived.
“I’m pretty thankful we got past our first couple years and last year we kind of took a break on renovations so we were able to stay afloat,” Coward said. “Definitely, there’s businesses out there that I know did not make it because they were in year one and that really sucks.”
Wiggle Butt Inn offers boarding, grooming and a newly implemented day care service. Coward said the hardest part about having a pet care business during the pandemic is its seasonal nature — March was supposed to be one of the busiest months of 2020. The Wiggle Butt Inn will not reach the numbers it thought it would this year.
“It was bad timing. I know the virus didn’t plan the timing, but it’s been rough for sure,” Coward said.
Nancy Brown, the “alpha dog” at Double Dog Day Care at 3770 Fishcreek Road, referred to her business as “niche.” The Stow-based facility offers dog day care but not overnight kenneling. Grooming and in-home pet care services are also available. Though clients typically utilize the latter during vacations or long work days, home visits sharply declined during the statewide shutdown earlier this year.
Double Dog shuttered its doors from late March to mid-May. Despite the temporary closure, the day care aspect of the business has seen numbers typical for the summertime. Brown explained that summer is not a popular time for dog day care services because pet owners are home, the weather is decent and dogs are able to play outside.
The busiest time tends to fall around January, February and March. In fact, she said, the first quarter of 2019 was the best ever for Double Dog since it opened in January 2011. Brown said she accepted there was a real possibility that her business may not have survived the shutdown and considers herself fortunate.
Coward said her biggest concern was for her employees. They have all since returned to work, but it took time. Grooming staff returned in early May and kennel staff around early June.
The state considered boarding to be an essential service, Coward said. In March, however, clients began canceling reservations which created a lack of need for kennel staff and they were laid off the second week. Though Wiggle Butt Inn’s boarding service never closed, grooming services were halted temporarily before resuming in May.
Not including herself, Coward said she has three employees. Ideally, though, she would like to have one, possibly two, more. Wiggle Butt Inn’s boarding is not at full capacity, however, which is why she has not brought on additional help.
“There’s just no guarantee that we’re going to stay steady with everything happening,” Coward said.
Brown’s business has been impacted by the fact that people are working from home and they’re not traveling as much. Still, she noted, the need for a dog day care service is there. When her business reopened, all of her regulars returned, she said. Though most were working from home still, they wanted their dogs to attend day care at least three days a week.
A typical day used to mean 15 to 20 in-home visits. Brown said business has largely returned to normal.
Customers have been mindful of social distancing while dropping off and picking up pets. Double Dog has always kept its space clean, Brown said, but staff is even more mindful of cleaning even the surfaces they lean on. High-contact surfaces such as phones and doorknobs are also wiped down several times a day. Staff also follows safety protocols such as taking temperatures, wearing masks and washing hands.
“We don’t have the dogs wearing masks,” Brown joked.
Since mid-June, according to the Wiggle Butt Inn Facebook page, clients must enter the building’s lobby one at a time. They can also signal staff to pick up pets from cars by calling or honking their horns. High contact surfaces are cleaned regularly as well. Coward also said masks and gloves are required for employees.
Customers were happy to return for grooming services, Coward said. Boarding is at around a little over half capacity, however.
Coward said that any support helps, even if a customer just requests a simple nail trim or ear cleaning for their pet. Even stopping in for a quick “hi” is a welcomed gesture.
Health care
Though some travel to the facility for special services, Kelly Tandarich, office manager for Keystone Veterinary Clinic, said the practice primarily serves residents of Summit County. The normal method of operation at the clinic, located at 4983 Darrow Road in Stow, had to change drastically because of the pandemic. The clinic has consistently remained open and available for patients, however.
Currently, only curbside service is being offered. Aside from owners who are saying their final goodbyes, only staff may enter the building. Operating that way has lengthened the time of each appointment, meaning fewer patients can be seen on a daily basis. Several same-day appointments are always reserved for sick pets, but those fill up within minutes of opening.
Not many people are putting off routine pet care, Tandarich said. Many are surprised the facility is booking appointments for six weeks out. She said she thinks most of the vet’s staff would agree that the most difficult part of the current situation has been the fact that staff is unable to help everyone.
“We are trying to maintain our standard of care even through these difficult times, and our staff has stayed late and come in early many days to try to help our clients,” Tandarich said. “Our practice owner, Dr. Mary Dubelko, would love nothing more than being able to help the endless number of people with pets.”
Nina Danik, office manager and registered technician for Tallmadge Animal Hospital, said the hardest part of the pandemic has been giving clients reassurance and pets the care they need while still maintaining safety measures. Though aware of local practices that choose to collect pets and bring them in for care alone, Tallmadge Animal Hospital, 107 West Ave., allows owners to to accompany their pets into the facility.
“We need the client there because so much of the information that they have is so important in the evaluation of what we’re dealing with,” Danik said.
Clients are asked to wear masks and enter the facility one at a time. One owner is preferred, but a maximum of two may be present. Exceptions are made for end of life procedures.
Staff is happy to collect pets from clients and communicate with them by phone if they are uncomfortable entering the building for an appointment, however, Danik said.
Rooms are disinfected after each use. Prior to COVID, it was mainly the areas where the animals were examined. Now, the entire room is disinfected in between appointments. Payment is also handled in the examination room instead of at the front counter like before.
In accordance with guidelines laid out earlier this year by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, the animal hospital did not schedule electives through the month of April. In addition to caring for patients with illnesses, the practice also vaccinated new puppies and kittens during that time. Otherwise, they would have been vulnerable to nasty diseases, Danik said. She noted some of the hospital’s clientele have adopted new, young animals because they were home.
Normal business operations resumed on May 1.
The animal hospital has seen an increase in appointments and is booked up more than ever before, Danik said. People are making more appointments, she suspects, because they are home more and their discretionary dollars do not have a lot of places to go.
Danik said she thinks it is both important for pet owners to try to return to a routine care schedule for their animals as well as establish and maintain a relationship with a veterinary practice.
Reporter Kaitlyn McGarvey can be reached at kmcgarvey@recordpub.com or on Twitter at @kaitlynmcg_rc
