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Coming back after Illinois Stay at Home Order

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coming back

Coming Back after Stay at Home Order!

Good news! We’re coming back and officially reopening for nonessential walks Wednesday, June 3 (the date Chicago goes into Phase 3) and we cannot wait to see our old friends 🙂

We spent the break getting everything together for a smooth, safe reopening. We’ve also been demoing puppy björns, but that’s neither here nor there.

NEW COVID-19 PROTOCOL

Urban Tailz has been certified by Pet Sitters International on best practices for our pet sitters and dog walkers during this Covid-19 pandemic. We will be working as diligently as possible to keep our clients, staff, pets, and community safe. Our staff will be outfitted with facemasks, hand sanitizer spray, and leashes (more on those in a bit!). In addition, we will be practicing social distancing while on walks by staying 6-feet away from any passersby.

IF YOU ARE HOME:

  • Let us know! We will send a message through TTP just prior to arrival
  • We will be bringing our own harnesses and leashes (see below!) so please have your dog in its collar so (s)he is ready to be leashed
  • We will continue doing door-to-door exchanges, or quick handoffs in your hallway, lobby, or front yard
  • Walkers will be wearing masks when interacting with clients. If a walker is not wearing a mask when they pick up or drop off your dog, please let Urban Tailz management know.

 

IF YOU ARE NOT HOME:

  • Please have all items needed for the walk readily available
  • Please leave sanitizing cleaning supplies visible. We will wipe or spray down anything that is touched during our visit like doorknobs, countertops, harness, etc.

 

NEW LEASHES

We will be asking our walkers to use only our equipment (no client leashes or harnesses) for the foreseeable future, so we spent the last few months searching for the best possible options.

After testing a variety of leashes and harnesses (our dogs are now #influencers), we found one we absolutely love called the Weiss Walkie. The beauty of this one is that it is both a leash AND a harness. The leash attaches to the pet’s collar like a normal leash, wraps around the pet’s chest area, and then is secured through a metal loop near the clasp attached to the leash.

Every walker will be outfitted with four of these leashes: two for dogs over 25lbs and two for dogs under 25lbs. No matter what combination of dogs you have at home, we’ll be prepared!

The Weiss Walkie, used as a harness, will be our default leashing practice moving forward. However, if your dog has unique needs, or you’d rather we use your own equipment, please let us know. We’ll make a note on your account.

GPS ROUTE TRACKING

Starting Monday, June 8, you’ll be able to see where your dog went on his/her afternoon stroll. (Ideal for dogs who want to return to the scene of a good sniff!) The route will show up in the usual walk report you get after each visit. This is something we’ve been working towards for a while, so we’re excited to launch it!

FEAR FREE CERTIFIED

Carine and I are finishing our studies to become Fear Free Certified, a course designed to help pet professionals prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety and stress in animals. We are very excited to start using the tools and techniques we’ve learned along with our more than 15 years of experience in caring for furry family members.

Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about our new protocol. We want to make sure you’re comfortable! We expect things will be different for quite some time, but we’re prepared to adapt to whatever is best for our clients, walkers and community.

We can’t wait to get back to work!

-Carine and Erik

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