As it stands it feels like the world is quickly on its way back to normal. Many people are projecting that come around mid to end June or early to mid-July 80% of adults in the United States are going to be fully vaccinated. Every day as more and more people are becoming vaccinated our chances of hitting herd immunity increase. Additionally, the FDA and United States government recently announced that more testing had been done and now anyone over the age of 12 was eligible to get vaccinated. Previously, only those 18 and up were eligible. As restrictions are lifted and the world begins to reopen many people are now figuring out their summer plans. Considering how little people were able to move around during Covid, people are more eager than before to get out and travel.
While fewer restrictions and the thought of traveling are extremely exciting, planning a trip is not easy. Figuring out where you want to go, how to get there, what to do, and how you are going to afford it are not simple questions. Additionally, many people are trying to plan trips with only the human members of the family, so they must now also figure out who is going to watch their pets.
Prior to Covid when travel was more abundant and less restricted, it’s safe to assume that most pet owners had a network of people and places that they took their pets when they were going out of town. During the height of Covid, virtually no one needed a pet sitter, as no one was going out of town for business or for fun, and no one was going into the office. Considering how low demand for pet sitting was, it isn’t surprising that many pet boarding locations were forced to close their doors.
As you are planning your next trip make sure to do some research to see if your usual pet sitting businesses are still open and running. If they are open and running you should read up on their rules and restrictions for drop-off and pick-up procedures. For a lot of businesses, the way they now do pick-up/drop-off is a little bit different than the way it was handled before.
Additionally, if you deciding between using a friend or a business to watch your pets, you should really consider going with the business. So many businesses really struggled to stay afloat during covid, especially the small/local ones. As a small business ourselves we know firsthand how challenging trying to do business with Covid is. So, if it doesn’t matter much to you, try to go with a local pet boarding business!
Also, in case you missed it, we have another blog on doggy day care for nervous dogs. In that article, we give some tips for nervous or first-time daycare pets. It also has some specific information on what to do during Covid times. Here is the link if you want to check it out! https://zenfrenz.com/blogs/