Like any other surface such as door handles your dog maybe able to transfer the virus on his coat, we don’t know how long the virus lives outside of a host and there has been a published experiment where the virus was present but presented a low risk on the fur of a dog. I guess it could be a risk on any moving surface such as your cat, horse or even a person that had been coughed all over.
Your dog can not contract the virus, become ill or be a carrier and pass it on that way. Although viruses have a habit to mutate so that may change.
This is an important factor to remember as I’ve heard some terrible stories of dogs being abandoned and dispatched in the most awful ways in China and probably all over the world by now.
Treat your dog like a moving surface and that way we can avoid dogs being an issue.
People are terrified and in hysteria so I understand the panic and rash decisions but it’s also a result of a lack of knowledge and understanding about the virus so here goes…
The Coronavirus is a group of viruses affecting humans and animals, when it is transferred from animals to humans it is called zoonotic.
The Covid 19 Coronavirus is a zoonotic virus meaning it does come from one species of animal, they think that it maybe bats but this hasn’t been confirmed.
Just like the SARS virus came from either bats or civet cats in China (they think) and the MERS virus came from camels in the middle east these are all part of the Coronavirus strain.
They mainly affect the respiratory organs and the kidneys.
Dogs can get a strain of the Coronavirus but this can not be passed to humans and is not the same as the covid 19.
Humans are the biggest issue so Park Life have come up with an epic plan to stop the spread, keep the dogs walked and reassure our customers that we are taking this very seriously!
Preparation is everything! so here’s our Operation Covid 19.
Individual towels from each owner to be used on their own dog.
Gloves or hand sanitiser to be used before and after entering a property.
All dog leads need to be disinfected before use.
Steering wheel and commonly touched surfaces will be disinfected after each day.
Owners displaying symptoms will be discouraged from touching/feeding/socialising with their dog until they are better.
As little contact as possible will be made with infected owners and they will be asked to wash hands before handing over the dog.
A letter containing information and instructions will be given to owners detailing what they need to do and extra adventures will be offered if the owner is struggling to keep up with their dogs exercise.
Leucillin which is a pet safe disinfectant will be sprayed on the dogs if there is a risk of spread.
We will follow government and veterinary advise.
Our biggest fear is our customers wanting to cancel when the virus is more of a threat. So with this plan we hope our customers feel safe in the knowledge that we are looking after them as well as we can. Too many cancelations may result in the closure of a small business like ours over a long period so we felt the need to put these steps in place and to provide as much information as we can to help our customers make their decisions.
I myself have a vested interest in being over cautious about this situation because like many others I have close family that this virus could seriously affect.
I feel safe in the knowledge that as a dog walker who lives and works solo I present a very low risk personally. My work takes me out into nature where there is virtually no risk because I don’t really see very many people so my main aim is to educate and prevent any spread from house to house and I’m confident this plan will do this.
If you would like to use a pet friendly spray check out leucillin.co.uk which kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria if a safe way.
For more information on the Coronavirus visit https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
Keep calm and carry on!
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