Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 26, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba SUNDAY SPECIAL SUNDAY FEATURES EDITOR: KELLY TAYLOR ? KELLY.TAYLOR@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A10 SUNDAY APRIL 26, 2020 W HEN the Manitoba government on March 30 ordered all non-essential ser-vices to close under the Public Health Act to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a measure that went into effect two days later, Shawn Bennett sprang into action. The first thing Bennett, owner of Happy Tails Pet Resort & Spa, a doggie daycare with two locations in Winnipeg, did after learning about the order was openly wonder whether his four-year-old, family- run operation qualified as an essential service. It took some investigating, but near the bottom of a long list of businesses deemed crucial under the act - the 73rd of 74 entries - was the follow- ing description: "A business that provides for the health and well-being of animals, including farms, boarding kennels, stables, animal shelters, zoos, aquariums, research facilities and other service providers." "Before we knew for certain that we'd be allowed to stay open, we reached out to a lot of our clientele, many of whom work in the health industry, to let them know we weren't sure what was going to hap- pen," Bennett says, speaking loud enough over the phone to be heard above barking in the background. "It was a bit humbling because to a person they said they were with us no matter what. If we stayed open, great, they'd see us in a day or two. If we were forced to close, no worries. They and their pet would be back when we reopened." Sure, business is down significantly at facilities such as Bennett's, what with so many people either working from home or not working, period. But for that segment of the population that continues to head out the door day in and day out, Happy Tails and businesses like it have been a godsend, he feels, as they've given pet owners one less thing to worry about. This week we chatted with the owners of three dog- gie daycares - Bennett, Nikki Sherwin of Woofs N Wags and Katie Heinrichs of the Dog Loft - to learn about each one's business, as well as to garner a few tips for anybody concerned how their own "fur baby" is reacting to these turbulent times. ? ? ? Despite what you may have heard or read, not ev- erybody is a fan of the Netflix docuseries Tiger King. Owing to the fallout from COVID-19, Katie Hein- richs, owner of the Dog Loft, a 24-7 canine daycare centre located at 245 Marion St., was forced to lay off three-quarters of her 25-person staff. To help make ends meet, she's been pulling the graveyard shift her- self, which means bedding down on a leather couch in her office every evening, while a few overnight "guests" are curled up at her feet. "One night I was watching the first couple of episodes of Tiger King and I swear to god, every time one of the tigers on-screen growled, the dogs in here with me went crazy," she says. Heinrichs grew up in Altona. A dog lover since she can remember, she began volunteering at the Pem- bina Valley Humane Society during her final year of high school. She moved to Winnipeg after graduating and immediately landed a job at a doggie daycare; "the competition," she calls it. Three and a half years later, in December 2013, she opened the Dog Loft in a closed butcher shop, a location you'd think would be a big hit with the canine crowd, right? Wrong. "The first time I came in with my own dog, Olivia, she stopped in the entrance and pooped, she was so terrified by the smell, which truly was horrible," Heinrichs says with a laugh. "I was like, what have I done? I just signed a five-year lease." The big reason Heinrichs, who presently offers curb-side drop-off and pick-up, chose to remain open around the clock instead of reducing her hours to save money is the obligation she feels to pooches like Kaiser, a "little Pomeranian-thing" that gets dropped off by his owner, a doctor at St. Boniface Hospital, every night at 7 p.m., and goes home at 8 the next morning. "People might think why not leave him at home, all he's going to do is sleep, but if it was me, I wouldn't want my dogs spending the night unsupervised," she says. "That's kind of been my line of thinking since the day we opened, that we treat the dogs who come here the same way we'd want our own dogs to be treated." Also, if you're one of those dog "parents" who's hesitant about sending your pooch off to daycare, believing they won't get along with other dogs, you may not know your pet as well as you think you do, Heinrichs says. "Some mornings it's like dropping your kid off for the first day of school. There will be tears, the owner will be all nervous, but as soon as they're out of sight, that dog is wagging its tail, running around as if to say, 'OK, I've got this.' I really have to start filming this stuff because owners never believe me." ? ? ? In mid-March, not long after Manitoba announced the province's first confirmed case of COVID-19, Nikki Sherwin got in touch with Health Canada. The owner of Woofs N Wags, which opened at 491 St. Anne's Rd. in 2007, was interested to know if there was anything she could do to assist health care work- ers. "I said if there are doctors or nurses out there having to work extra long shifts because of the virus, I would happily volunteer my facility - my home, even - if they were looking for a place for their dog to stay while they were out of the house," Sherwin says, adding she's gone so far as to offer free toilet paper to regular customers who can't find a roll to save their life. "I know one person in the health field who doesn't have any family in Winnipeg - nobody who can take her dog when she's away - and I fig- ured since they're doing so much for us, donating a few hours of my time is the least I could do for them." Sherwin, a single mother of one, has a degree in psychology. Prior to opening Woofs N Wags, which has a second location at 2 Donald St., she taught behavioural programs to children, focusing on anger management, self-esteem and friendship groups. It was an easy transition going from kids to dogs, she says, adding dogs are very similar to humans, with different emotions and anxiety levels. "Just like no two kids are alike, no two dogs are alike, either," she points out. Following up on that, Sherwin has a couple tips for pet owners whose dogs might be wondering, first of all, why when they go for a walk they're no longer allowed to interact with other dogs and dog owners. And secondly, what's with all the masks? About walk-time: Sherwin advises making your daily stroll about the two of you, and that if you need to avoid others to observe social distancing rules, turn it into a game by running towards a tree in the opposite direction, or scampering around a bush. As for face coverings, be sure to have some fun with that, too, she says. "If you have a sensitive dog, you need to be aware that everything you're doing that's new, like putting on a mask before you go out, you need to associate it in a positive light for your dog," she explains. "You can start at home, putting on a mask and giving pup- py a treat at the same time. Or wear the mask while you're filling his food bowl or giving him a tummy rub. That way when you go into the world and he sees all these people wearing masks, he'll be desensitized and think, 'Look at all these silly human beings. I guess wearing masks is the new thing.'" ? ? ? Shawn Bennett has been around dogs his entire life, as a pet owner, a breeder and as a registered dog judge for competitions held all over the world. How- ever, it wasn't until his daughter Celeste came home from university four years ago and announced she didn't want to be a veterinarian after all that he and his family began putting the wheels in motion to open Happy Tails Pet Resort & Spa. "Growing up she was the type who brought home birds with broken wings and nursed them back to health, or got off her bike to make sure a frog or squirrel got across the road safely," Bennett says. "A vet was the only thing she ever wanted to be but after doing a practicum for university and spending a week witnessing nothing but negativity - dogs passing away, dogs being hit by cars - she said, 'Mom and Dad, I don't think I can do this.'" The timing couldn't have been better. Between showing their own dogs and judging international events, Bennett and his wife were away from home a fair bit. Their eldest child had moved out, leaving Celeste and another son at home, but the writing was on the wall, he says. "Obviously they were going to move out at some point, too, so what it boiled down to basically was we were running out of people to take care of our own dogs, so why not open a business that could do just that?" he says with a chuckle. Between their two locations, 596 St. Anne's Rd. And 141 Samborski Dr., Happy Tails Pet Resort ordinarily has a staff of close to 40 people. Owing to COVID-19, that number is currently a fraction of what it once was. Take spring break, for example, when they had more than 100 bookings for week-long stays that suddenly went poof, after travel restrictions were put into place. "What's nice is some of the people who cancelled asked if they could help us out in other ways, by donating a few days of daycare to a pet owner who re- ally needed our service. Others have dropped off toys or food. It's been really something to see." One thing Bennett does want to stress is that when things do return to normal, and people go back to their regular, 9-to-5 routine, they have to be cogni- zant of separation anxiety, which can affect certain breeds more than others. Understanding not every- body can afford the services of a doggie daycare, he suggests regularly going for a walk or drive without your pet, so they get used to being home alone, and forces them to realize having their family home with them 24-7 isn't a forever thing. "Dogs have a routine as well and their mental health is important to monitor, just like our own. There are a lot of people whose dogs do a ton of damage to the home when they're alone because of separation issues. It's really too bad we can't talk to them and explain everything that's going on in the world right now. That would sure make things a lot easier, wouldn't it?" david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca Dog day afternoon (and morning and evening and nighttime, too) DAVID SANDERSON Despite slowdown, canine care centres staying open to service those in essential workplaces PHOTOS BY MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Resident dogs at Happy Tails Resort enjoy some warmer weather as they play outdoors. Lucille Austria grooms Jozy at the Dog Loft. As the dog boarding business is down, the grooming business is on the rise, left. Right: Tierney Maytchak, the resident 'auntie' at Woofs N Wags, hangs out with some guests. Katie Heinrichs, owner of the Dog Loft, with Sadie, a regular: many dogs adapt to being at a daycare better than most owners give them credit for. Woofs N Wags owner Nikki Sherwin has noticed a drop in business since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic as much of the business for her Donald Street location comes from downtown. Happy Tails Pet Resort employee Jessie Schaum and Louis share a hug. The Dog Loft's Jordan Mollot sanitizes a leash after using it to bring in a client's dog for grooming. ;