Appeal to be Deemed an Essential Business
Today was a day of celebration for one Paramount Success Group member, and all pets and pet care providers in New Jersey! I want to share my experience in helping pet care providers in this state become deemed as essential businesses, and share the email that was used several times during the process.
When New Jersey issued a shelter in place order, the language was not clear about boarding or grooming services being deemed as essential, but since we knew there was a need, my client remained partially open. They provided discounts for all essential workers who needed pet care, and as the days of the COVID-19 crisis passed, the demand for services increased. Someone from the facility created a Facebook post about being open, and the phones went wild, including some calls from local groomers who were angry that this facility was offering this service when these groomers had shut down their own businesses. That same day, the facility received a visit from a police officer who informed them that someone had reported them, and they were to shut down immediately. They complied, of course, but that’s when we went to work.
The owner asked that I spearhead this appeal for them. Before leaving the building, the officer said that my client could contact the County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to appeal, so that’s where we started. After that, I researched the appeals process at the state level. I completed the online form and copied and pasted this same email into the message. To leave no stone unturned, I then looked up the names and contact information of the state representatives in their district, and I emailed them. All of this happened on a Friday afternoon.
The following Monday, I received a response from the OEM representative, who said he had spoken with the state’s Attorney General’s office, who said that pet boarding is considered essential. That was sort of a win. However, the state website still stated pet stores were essential, but pet boarding and pet grooming businesses were not. The message was still too vague to move forward without fear of another visit from the police.
Shortly after receiving the response from the OEM rep, I received a call from the Chief of Staff of the Senator I had emailed. He was very receptive to hearing me out and doing what he could to help. During that call, I appealed on behalf of all pet care businesses, specifically those that provide overnight care, daycare, and grooming services. I reminded him of the videos we’ve all seen of rescued dogs, and how those dogs are always full of mats which are usually covering very painful sores. I explained that these services are not just to make dogs look pretty, but are vital to their health. He listened and asked that I first, forward him the email we had received from the OEM, and he told me he would be reaching out to the Governor’s office as well.
Fast forward to Wednesday, and my client received news from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, with “Updated Clarification on Essential Businesses.” Pet Grooming was first on the list. Pet Boarding was next, and Animal Shelters was after that. Now we have it in writing. Now that’s a WIN!
My take away from this entire situation is that states are waiting for business owners to fill in the blanks for them. They are overwhelmed with trying to do the right thing, but it’s unrealistic to think that they could even begin to cover every detail when making these state guidelines to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19.
My message to you is this…if you are taking care of pets, and you can perform these services while maintaining social distancing and other mitigation strategies to keep people safe, then take action. I encourage you to do what it takes to educate and inform your county and state officials, because the pets, you and your business are worth it!
Please feel free to use this email template as your starting point. Please be sure to fill in the correct information that you’ll see in italics and parenthesis. Lastly, be sure to test the links to make sure they still take people to the correct location. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Good Luck!
Lori
Link to the CDC information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html
Link to DVM 360 article: https://www.dvm360.com/view/regular-grooming-can-protect-pets-health
READ ME: SOME OF THE INFORMATION INCLUDED BELOW WILL NOT APPLY TO YOUR FACILITY. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR LETTER REFLECTS ONLY TRUE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS PRIOR TO SENDING.
