TopDog K9 Services has had some "ruff" times during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, there has been some tail-wagging moments as well.
The doggie daycare and enrichment training facility opened in Orillia on Dunedin Street in December of 2018.
“We offer education as well as the opportunity for dogs to socialize and play with other dogs,” owner Kathy Currie-Eyers explained.
“We do different levels of training and offer enrichment activities for the dogs to do while they are here with us.”
TopDog K9 Services also offers basic training for puppies and speciality training for dogs who have specific issues such as being reactive when they are out for walks and see other dogs, people or other distractions.
When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened local businesses beginning in March, Currie-Eyers was fearful that she would have to close her doors.
“We thought we were in trouble, especially because right out of the gate our business didn’t grow the way I thought it was going to,” she said.
Currie-Eyers cancelled in-building group classes, reduced dog daycare hours from five days a week to two, and laid off some staff.
But what happened next was totally unexpected. Because most other dog daycare and training services completely closed their doors, TopDog K9 Services saw a flurry of new customers.
“People are home with their dogs and there are no training classes available ... we were the only option,” Currie-Eyers explained.
Before the pandemic, TopDog K9 Services welcomed in five to seven dogs per day. That number ballooned to 12-15.
While business was booming, a new challenge presented itself.
“We are seeing a lot of pandemic puppies who have anxiety and they are under socialized, they are nervous and afraid out in the world and that is a ramification from all the isolation that has transpired,” Currie-Eyers said.
Puppies who were recently brought into the world and are stuck at home with their owners during the pandemic could be at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives, Currie-Eyers warned.
“When you get a puppy, you have a limited amount of time to build socialization and it needs to be done in the first 6-18 weeks. That’s when puppies need to get out, meet people, see different sights, hear different sounds, be in all sorts of different safe environments so they become confident,” she said.
Manager Jackie Ditchburn-Currie has been taking dogs down to the Orillia waterfront for training sessions and to help make up for the isolation period.
However, the City of Orillia’s new parking restrictions for out of town residents have jeopardized TopDog K9 Services training sessions.
“We are having an issue getting the city to provide us with a parking permit to allow us to go down to the waterfront to do training with the dogs," Ditchburn-Currie explained.
"I live in Warminster, so they won’t allow me to have a parking pass to do our work on behalf of the business,” she said. Permits are only issued to city residents.
TopDog K9 Services didn’t request any extra parking permits but rather sought permission to allow the permit issued to the owner to be transferred to Ditchburn-Currie’s licence plate so she can be the designated waterfront instructor. But, according to Ditchburn-Currie, city officials won't budge.
“The ability to get these dogs down to the waterfront to see people, boats, bikes, other dogs, is crucial to get them through COVID because they are under socialized from being isolated,” Ditchburn-Currie explained.
The City of Orillia has informed TopDog K9 Services that the parking permits are not permanent, but, Ditchburn-Currie says the dogs can’t wait any longer, they need to receive training now or they might be beyond re-habilitation soon.
“These dogs are a part of this community and if we can’t socialize them and fix their problems then the waterfront is now and forevermore going to be flooded with dogs that are all reactive,” she said.
