Lockdown for Pet Groomers Heidi Anderton is principal of Absolutely Animals and London School of Pet Grooming, with over 30 years in the business, Heidi is a highly qualified and experienced industry expert in teaching dog grooming as well as an awardwinning groomer, former Groom Team England member and founder member of the British Isles Grooming Association (BIGA). Heidi shares her thoughts on the implications of coronavirus on groomers:
B
y the time you read this the UK will no doubt be in lockdown alongside its European neighbours and most of the world, during the Covid-19 pandemic. I have made plans to close my dog and cat grooming business in London, my staff will be sent home to comply with isolation requests for the two to three weeks minimum period of isolation and indeed possibly for the foreseeable future. We will also need to postpone and reschedule events which were planned in April. In fact, I know some of you who are in vulnerable situations have already taken yourself into isolation. It’s going to be hard for everyone in so many different ways, but it has to be done. At the moment, on the run up to the Lockdown we have been busier than our Christmas period, the phone is ringing off the hook. With dog and cat owners pre-empting the inevitable lockdown, having a clean pet in the house seems to come high on the to do list when pets may not see their groomer for a while. There are two major things for us to consider in this situation, loss of income and the welfare of the animals. Loss of income being the most immediate. The government has put together packages for all workers to tap into, so
38 | Total Grooming Magazine
Heidi and Prada
let’s hope the financial implications are limited and will see us through these dark days. The British Isles Grooming Association (www.mybiga.org) has regular updates on their website, Facebook group and email list as well as links to credible sources of information, including the World Health Organisation, Federation of Small Business, British Veterinary
Association and current Government information links, to aid you in this financial crisis. Keep updated and make sure you apply for everything you are entitled too. Keep strong and keep calm. I personally do believe this situation will become very serious as it has in other countries, but I am optimistic, if we isolate and stay safe, the majority of us will come out the other end healthy and recover financially.
