Doggy day care business offers drive-through service as coronavirus bites

Metro Paws manager Tegan Birchall. Photo / Supplied

A Hamilton doggy day care and pet hotel scrambling to save the business after a wave of coronavirus cancellations is trialling a drive-through service.

Metro Paws 'n Claws Luxury Pet Hotel manager Tegan Birchall said with 90 per cent of Easter bookings cancelled and day care regulars also expected to start pulling out, the business was trialling a drive-through drop-off and pick up service starting on Monday.

More than 130 animals had been booked into the Te Rapa facility for Easter, Birchall said.

It was only a matter of time now before the dog day care business would be affected so staff had hit on the idea of the drive-through service which would avoid dog and cat owners mingling.

The business, which averages 45 dog daycare visitors a day, employs five full-timers. One person had been laid off on Friday, Birchall said.

In an email today to clients, she said 50 trialists were needed a day to help work out a successful system which could be maintained for the foreseeable future.

The response so far had been very positive, Birchall said. The service was offered to day care and dog and cat boarder clients.

Trial participants would be asked to text their ETAs, wait for "a pack leader" to collect dogs from the back seat of vehicles with a reverse process for pick up.

Birchall said staff would be double-masked and gloved when they picked out dogs, already wearing collars and leashes, from the back of cars, and when they returned them to the back of vehicles, so there would be no contact between people.

Metro Paws which operates 24/7 was founded in 2017, and has always marketed itself on its high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.

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