How did COVID-19 affect Offaly Pet Sitting?
These past couple of months have been hard for us all. When a full you countrywide lockdown was announced for Ireland on 27th March, everything came to a stop, and we were forced to close our doors. Little did we know that it would last nearly 3 months!
Before lockdown was announced, there were already some restrictive measures in place such as the closure of all schools announced on March 11th. This suddenly meant our staff were no longer able to work due to having to look after kids at home. This was challenging in itself, but as always, a pet never goes un-cared for!
What Have we Been Doing During this Time?
Firstly, the most important thing to address was the safety of our clients and their pets - so we quickly put into place measures to ensure those clients already away during this time that their pets would continue to be cared for.
We also wanted to offer our help during this pandemic to help any individual unable to leave their home safely to get pet food or pet medication. Whether this was for the elderly, self-isolating individual or emergency worker etc, we were here to help by providing this free pick-up and drop-off service to anyone who needed it.
There was even a mention in the local newspaper, and we have been overwhelmed with so many kind words of support from the local community for giving our time and helping out in these difficult circumstances.
Coronavirus and Your Pets
There were many questions surrounding coronavirus and how it may affect our pets. "If I get sick, will my pet catch it?" was often the question being asked. Evidence of pets catching coronavirus from infected owners has happened in different countries around the world, although it is still uncommon. There is still little evidence to support whether infected pets can then transfer it back to humans, but our advice is if a pet becomes sick, or if an owner is concerned about their pet, they should contact their vet.
What Happens Next?
Going forward there will be some basic changes to our pet care services, including initial Meet & Greets being conducted via Zoom to minimise time spent in person when meeting your pets.
All of our staff have been kitted out with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as disposable gloves, face masks and alcohol based hand sanitiser. These will be used when coming into close proximity with owners and/or within their homes where necessary.
Pet owners should be reminded here that COVID-19 can be transferred via pets collars, dog leads and harnesses etc, so we ask that owners sanitise their own hands before handing their dogs over for walks etc. Where possible we'll use out own leashes.
Please download and read our updated "COVID-19 PROTECTION POLICY" for more information about changes to our services:
Comments