ATLANTA — Groomers and dog walkers are slowly beginning to see an uptick in business after the state shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But how do they ensure they are keeping both the pet - and the owner safe.
Sarah Green owns the Groom Room on Roswell Road - a dog grooming business that has seen a big boost in business in the last few weeks.
And as more people are bringing their dogs back to the groomer, they say they are doing all they can to keep them safe.
“Our criteria has been: stay in your car, wait till there's only one person in the lobby, then when they leave you can drop off. Wiping doors, wiping counters, not letting the dogs sniff each other,” Green said.
Pet sitters have an added challenge since they often enter client's homes.
“We just always make sure there's a safe distance between us and the owners, if we go into peoples home we wash our hands, wear masks we wipe down any surfaces we touch," Karen Levy, owner of Laughing Pets said.
She says she lost 85 percent of her business from the pandemic, so she's doing all she can now to give her clients peace of mind. She even took a course through Pet Sitters International and is now “COVID-19 Certified.”
To get the certification, pet sitters across the United States learn all about the virus and best ways to avoid it, then take a test online.
Levy says they’ve always been concerned with safety, but even more so, now.
While it’s rare to catch the virus from a pet, veterinarian Michael Good says they can be mechanical carriers since germs can get on their fur like any other surface.
So it’s especially important right now to keep them bathed -- especially after contact with other dogs, he said.