Dogs and people are looking a lot more polished with pet groomers and barber shops reopening this week. Both businesses are busy as their clients have gone to months without service.
Plaza Barbershop’s Matt Taylor said, "If this had gone on any longer, it would've been a problem."
Furry Tails Grooming Salon & Spa opened Monday for nail trimming and Tuesday for full grooming. They’re booked solid and can’t take new customers. Furry Tails co-owner Anjie Coates says, "I myself booked 170 customers, so there's no room to fit anyone else in."
The business says grooming is essential for pet health and without professional service, veterinarians have been seeing more animal injuries from owners trying to do the grooming themselves.
"They're way more hairy, some of them are matted, their nails are way overgrown."
Furry Tails co-owner Christine Blaine said, "They're seeing a lot of injuries. A lot of cuts from them trying to get the mats out, and dogs are needing to be sutured up."
Staff at both the groomer’s and at the Plaza Barbershop in Worcester are wearing masks and cleaning everything after each use. The barbershop says closing hurt them a lot and they want to keep working.
"You gotta let us work. You gotta let us make our own decisions on cleanliness. We're adults, we can make our own decisions," said Taylor.
Furry Tails is working with other pet grooming groups to try to make groomers essential so they can stay open a second coronavirus search causes a second closure. The Plaza Barbershop is hoping a second wave doesn’t hit because they don’t think their business would survive it.