In our PETS+ Brain Squad survey on how COVID-19 has affected pet businesses, owners and managers responded to a question about their current level of anxiety.
The answer with the greatest number of responses at 47.7 percent was “moderate.” One such respondent was Melissa Ripple of Paws & Effect LLC in Eustis, FL. She said:
“I am taking each day as it comes. I am not in panic mode. I did discover that my emergency plan with my insurance only covered closures due to natural disasters, and I guess this does not constitute. So we are taking it one day at a time, booking dogs, staying cheerful and listening to each client’s concerns. The area is very quiet. People are being smart and staying home when they do not need to be out. I hope this continues and breaks the epidemic.”
Kate Lindburg of Animal Crackers Pet Supply in Corvallis, OR, also answered “moderate” and shared:
“I am coming to work every day and checking in with my staff regarding their health status and stress load. If they are ill, they will stay home. If they get too stressed, we will reduce our hours to compensate for that. All staff are guaranteed two weeks of paid time off to deal with this, and I have put two weeks of payroll into reserve to cover it.”
Next up was “mild” at 25.3 percent. “Severe” followed at 14.9 percent. And when it comes to anxiety, 7.4 percent of respondents said they have “none at all.” (We need to learn their secret.)
Thankfully, only 4.4 percent are “close to panicking.”
So far, 67 owners and managers have responded to our survey. Stay tuned for more results. Join the PETS+ Brain Squad to take part in surveys. To hear more from your independent pet business peers, join our Facebook Community.