ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — After weeks with a messy hair-do, your furry friends are also in need of a little pampering.
Dog grooming is now back open but with a few changes to how groomers take care of your dog.
If your dog needs a hair cut, you might need to pack your patience. Dog groomers have been open for a few weeks now, but there is still a backlog.
Jennifer Kocis lives in Royal Oak.
“It took about a month after I called, and I called pretty early on," she said.
For Kocis, it wasn’t a messy looking puppy that bothered her. She worried about her dog Griffin's health.
“He is my first dog, and at that point I have never even given him a bath," said Kocis. "So my first question is 'how do I do this?' How am I going to cut his nails, how long is his fur going to get or his hair?”
Long hair can causing matting.
"Flees and ticks can hide under matted skin, and it can get to the point where it is actually pulls on the skin and can cause different skin issues," said Brian Lane, owner and manager of Bingo Pet Salon.
At Bingo Pet Salon in Royal Oak, dogs with mats will be shaved.
They currently have about a two week wait list, due in part to less groomers working to help maintain social distancing.
Part of the backlog is not only catching up with current clients, but new clients – like Debbie Rosner who got her dog Chloe during the pandemic.
“This is the first puppy I’ve had that has had to get groomed, so I had to wait longer even then most because they had to get in the dogs that were already clients," said Rosner.
She took her dog to Bubble and Bark in Ferndale, where they are not passing around dog leashes.
Instead people are asked to put their dogs in a crate, check in from a distance and walk away.
Also back open: Doggie Daycare and Boarding.
“Daycare, it took a minute, you know, but I feel like we are almost back to normal with daycare, boarding started off really slow because people weren’t traveling but now, we weren’t as busy as we were in previous summers but we are about half way," said Julie Andrews, co-owner and manager of Bubble and Bark.
According to the CDC, animals can get coronavirus, mostly after coming in close contact with some with COVID-19.
But there is currently no data indicating pets are dying from the virus.
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