18/03/2020
Walkies! Walkies!
We know that the Coronavirus pandemic is forcing all of us to make adjustments in nearly every area of our lives. In spite of the upheavals, I would like to reassure our clients that our walking services will continue to operate as normal.
Current guidelines advise that it is still safe to walk and handle dogs despite the need for social distancing. Many of you will have probably learned already that the expert advice on dogs and COVID-19 is that dogs cannot catch the virus. The World Organisation for Animal Health has advised that, “to date, there is no evidence that dogs play a role in the spread of this human disease or that they become sick.” They advocate the implementation of normal hygiene measures when handling pets, including hand-washing before and after being around them, and recommend that anyone who is under medical attention for COVID-19 should maintain good hygiene practises with their pet. You can read the full article https://www.oie.int/en/scientific-expertise/specific-information-and-recommendations/questions-and-answers-on-2019novel-coronavirus/.
As per health advice, i have also increased my regular high standards of cleanliness and I’m taking extra precautions when handling your dogs.
Human-to-human contact is of course more concerning. I am now operating social distancing when collecting and dropping off. This may mean standing further away from you than seems natural, but please don’t take this personally!
Should I become ill I will be sure to inform you of this straightaway. Likewise, i would appreciate it if you could inform me if there are any coronavirus-like symptoms present among your own family members and let me know should you need to self-isolate or quarantine your household. This will enable me to take extra precautions to avoid direct contact with household members and when using shared areas in your property.
Thought I would share this on here too, not something I've written, but very well said!
If you continue to receive a regular wage from an employer throughout this difficult time then please consider continuing to pay the self-employed people whose services you usually rely on - they will receive none. If you have a cleaner, gardener, regular baby club, child-minder, dog-walker, window cleaner etc, who you’ll no longer require services from right now then please consider continuing to pay them if you can, because when all of this gets better you’ll need them to still be in business. It costs money to run a business that never stops even when the clients stop paying.
Another great suggestion I’ve seen is that buying gift cards for your favourite cafes, restaurants, hairdressers, beauticians, local retailer etc to use at a later date might be the difference between them going under or being able to get back on their feet after all of this. That extra personal service & care we get from our local businesses is what make our communities.
behind every small business is a person and often an entire family x
Wishing you all good health xx
zoonoses, animal welfare, animal health,food safety,veterinary,animal disease,animal,health,animal production,Bernard Vallat
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