KITTY'S KORNER
by Deborah Hansen
House-Call Grooming IN A
COVID-19
WORLD
T
he world has changed greatly since I wrote my last article on house–call grooming. Many of us have experienced Stay–at– Home orders and closures for being considered non–essential businesses. We have new terms in our vocabulary such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE). Heroes have been redefined. Regardless of how your local government handled COVID–19, what does the actual virus mean for those of us who love and strongly believe house–call grooming is the best environment to groom the pets we serve? There are many things to consider moving forward as a house–call groomer. The most important consideration is how to keep yourself safe and protect your livelihood.
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Groomer to Groomer • Vol 39 Ed 6 • June 2020
There are many things to consider moving forward as a house–call groomer. The most important consideration is how to keep yourself safe and protect your livelihood. I am in an area that issued a Safer–at–Home order and grooming is not considered essential. I made the final decision to close around 5 a.m. on March 13, 2020 after I serviced the cats of two separate families that had just returned from two separate cruises. My official statement to my clients was, I spend hours on scheduling and disinfecting to prevent cross– contamination for the kitties I service, I need time to learn more about how
GroomertoGroomer.com
COVID–19 spreads so I can put the same diligence into preventing cross– contamination for the human families. As a former elementary educator, I knew that most viruses are contagious just before symptoms are observed. My concern was that I would be unknowingly exposed by my clients that love to travel and I would bring it into a home with clients that have pre–existing conditions. Most of my clients travel often and have