By ELAINE MALLON
Capital News ServiceCapital News Service
LANSING — It’s a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and Michigan animal shelters aren’t seeing pet adoptions slowing down.
And other parts of the pet industry are experiencing a boom in business, owners said.
Cheryl Postma, the director of the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter in Grayling, said her staff expected adoptions to slow down as people began to transition to working in person.
However, adoptions remain steady.
“If we could get vet work done as fast as dogs came in, our shelter would probably be close to empty all of the time,” Postma said.
While animal shelters struggle to keep up with demand, grooming parlors and dog training facilities are embracing an uptick in clients.
As the owner of Canine to Five with locations in Ferndale and Detroit, Liz Blondy said she’s never seen the grooming operation side as busy as it is now.
“I’ve owned this business for 15 years, and we have more customers than we’ve ever had,” Blondy said.
Blondy said Canine to Five is struggling to accommodate the increase in clients and is seeking ways to attract more employees.
Despite the uptick in grooming clients, Canine to Five is more profitable in its boarding service, she said.
Prior to the pandemic, Canine to Five boarded between 60 to 80 dogs on a Saturday night at its Ferndale location. A year into the pandemic, it’s averaging 35 dogs on a Saturday night.
Profits may still be down for Canine to Five, but Blondy said she’s seen a rise in boarding since the start of this year.
Scootie’s Dog Training, Boarding and Daycare in Belding in Ionia County provides obedience training in addition to boarding and daycare.
Owner Patrick Schoenborn said his business teetered during the first mandated shutdown last year but now has seen a growth in clients.
“We call them the COVID puppies,” Schoenborn said. “People had the time on their hands to get news dogs, but they aren’t able to socialize them because it’s hard to get out and do anything.”
“We’ve had a lot of puppies come in for training, but also to get them acquainted with dogs and other people,” Schoenborn said.
With schools’ spring break traditionally held in March, Schoenborn said boarding has increased, which brings hope for return to business as usual.
Canine to Five experienced a 30% decline in sales for 2020 due to the pandemic guidelines.
Blondy said she’s hopeful with the increase in adoptions that owners will seek to socialize their dogs.
“Think about how awkward it will be for many of us to get back into it,” Blondy said. “It’s going to be awkward for our dogs and dogs don’t have the words to express it.
“A lot of their anxiety will manifest into aggression.”
No matter if owners choose to socialize their dog at a day care facility or not, Blondy said it’s important for dogs to be meeting new people.
“The world is going to go back to some semblance of normal, and we need our dogs to be just as prepared for it as we are,” Blondy said.