Dear Green Dog Walking clients,
We as a company are, the same as everyone else, very concerned by the intensifying situation of the Covid-19 outbreak.
First things first: Thankfully, there is no evidence yet to show that dogs can become unwell or pass the virus to humans!
So, the canines at least are safe, but for us humanoids it’s a bit of a different matter.
We at Green Dog Walking are implementing extra steps to keep you (and us!) safe, for example disinfecting hands before and after every handover and taking extra care in sanitising our equipment.
More and more brits choose to work from home or even self-isolate. Daily exercise and a routine are important for both a dog’s physical as well as mental health, that’s why we’re committed to supporting you and your dog during this time of uncertainty.
Even if you are self-isolating we are still happy to take your dog out for their usual adventure. Please just let us know of your situation so we can arrange a safe way to handle the handover in a way that both you and us are comfortable with.
As the next weeks are going to be critical with potentially long-lasting effects for everyone and small local businesses like us in particular, we will try to brace the oncoming storm by adapting to the situation day-by-day and keeping you posted.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.
Here are some of the PDSA’s recommendations on how to handle pets during self-isolation:
- Ideally have another person in your household take on the day-to-day care of your pet, to minimise close contact. Make sure you regularly wash your hands before and after touching your pet, and follow other NHS self-isolation guidelines.
- Exercise – ensuring your pet continues to get daily activity is important for both their physical and mental health. […] For dogs, a friend or professional dog walker can take your dog out for you. Again make sure you both wash your hands before and after handling the dog, and keep the handover as brief as possible maintaining distance at all times.
- Food – buying food and other items online for delivery can help ensure you don’t run out of pet supplies. Make sure you tell the delivery company to leave the items outside for you to collect to avoid contact. If this isn’t possible, when the delivery arrives, keep your pet secure in another room, wash your hands before opening the door and avoid coming within two metres of the driver. Advise them you are isolating as a precaution, so they can apply hand sanitiser afterwards.
All of us from Green Dog Walking are wishing you and yours good health and hope, that everything will be back to normal soon.
Joe
