LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Diane Linstrom hoped business would pick back up as pandemic restrictions lifted. After all, every day is a good day to be a dog at The Paw Zone on Mellwood Avenue in Louisville.
However, Friday March 25 is Paw Zone’s last day. After 12 years in business, the doggie day care is closing.
“I kept saying I’m going to give it six more months, I’m going to give it six more months,” Linstrom said.
Linstrom’s decision to close is yet another example of how the pandemic has changed the way people do business and care for their animals. It’s not just that people began working from home, many still do, even as most pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
However, staying at home has resulted in over two years of significant losses in business and return customers for Linstrom.
“What used to be a business of 120 dogs a day is dramatically less and most of the people are once a week or once every other week, and it used to be a Monday through Friday thing for us because they work Monday through Friday,” she said.
Linstrom held out as long as she could.
“And I just kept thinking that it would come back, that people would start coming back to work. A lot of employers are realizing that their employees are just as productive if not more productive at home,” she said.
Anyone in the animal care industry will tell you how connected they are to their customers and their animals. There were a lot of hugs from customers Friday afternoon when pickups began.
“It’s about the relationships that I have with the people as well as their dogs, obviously. They trust me to take care of their dogs. They trust me to do what’s right with their dog,” Linstrom said.
Linstrom also employs a staff of six, which as of Friday are out of a job. She says she will have to lean on the in-home boarding she provides at her own residence, but today is bittersweet.
Lindstrom is proud to have been open for more than a decade, but knows she would have done it a lot longer under different circumstances.
“It’s my heart and soul,” she said.