Healthcare workers are putting in insanely long hours, putting their lives on the line to support us all during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tons of businesses have been forced to close their doors to the public as we all work together to flatten the curve and bring this crisis to an end. At first, dog sitting and dog daycare centers were classified as nonessential but that has changed. Here’s why.
Durham Doggie Day Care Made a Case to the City
Camp Bow Wow in Durham, NC was required to temporarily suspend their services during the city’s stay-at-home orders. Businesses that are not essential are all in the same situation. Grocery stores, pharmacies, internet providers, and of course, medical facilities, are some examples of businesses that are deemed essential. Camp Bow Wow petitioned to city to reconsider their classification.
Dog sitting may not seem like an essential service at first glance. However, many of the nurses, doctors, and supporting staff at medical facilities have dogs at home. Those dogs need to be fed, let out, and taken care of while their humans are at work for long shifts day-in and day-out. Camp Bow Wow made this case to the City of Durham and the city agreed!
Ashley Hippensteel is the manager of the franchise’s Durham facility. She told WRAL, “A ton of Duke (healthcare) workers drop their dogs off here.” She thinks these essential medical workers should not be distracted or burdened by issues like pet care while they are giving their all to help patients fight COVID-19. “You’re taking care of something that cannot take care of themselves–so, there are children, the elderly and then there’s pets,” Hippensteel said.
Dog Day Care, Pet Sitting, and Boarding are Essential
Camp Bow Wow is not alone. Dog care centers, pet sitting services, and boarding facilities across the country are now deemed essential. For good reason! Parents who work in essential industries need someone to take care of their human children while they continue providing services that we all continue to need. Dog parents need the same! May local and state governments have issued guidance to these businesses to help keep workers and customers safe. Some of those steps include:
- Customers are being offered curbside drop off service to reduce human-to-human exposure.
- Worker hygiene measures including frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer at planned intervals throughout the work shift.
- Daily sanitizing and washing of all surfaces that customers may touch.
- Daily sanitizing of all toys, dishes, etc that dogs touch or use during the day.
We are all in this together! This goes for our fur babies as well. In order for essential workers to continue supporting the rest of us, we have to support them. Part of that is ensuring that their loved ones, human and four-legged alike, get the care they need during this crisis.
H/T wral.com
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