There's no question the situation with Covoid 19 has people in our area on edge worrying about their families.
And in some cases, those family members are of the four-footed variety.
Lisa Rousseau owns Lisa's Doghouse in North Bay, at 1456 Seymour.
She says they've been busy helping worried pet owners to get supplies.
"With the recent provincial announcement about non-essential business closing, people went into a bit of a panic," says Rousseau.
But within the day it was clear that pet supply operations like hers would be allowed to stay open, so people could get their goods for their pets.
"People were worried they would not be able to source their pet foods, but once the facts were known, that went a long way to alleviating a lot of the stress for people," she explains.
Over the past couple of weeks, Rousseau says they saw "a lot of freaked out people", as pet-lovers feared they wouldn't be able to care for their animals, and didn't know what would happen next. While pet stores remain open, Rousseau says she has changed the way they are doing business for the time being.
She's asking customers to call ahead, and they can even pre-pay over the phone. Then when they arrive she or a staff member can bring the food or other items out to the client's vehicle. In light of the current situation, the business owner says it just seemed the right way to go, adding "it's safer for both the public and our staff."
Rousseau knows that while she focuses on supplies for cats and dogs, other pet stores, also deemed essential, carry items for small animals, birds, fish and reptiles.
"That will put a lot of people's minds at ease in a stressful time", she says.
Moving forward, she hopes people will take a reasoned, rational approach.
"Don't do panic-buying. We'll be here and we'll have what you need. buy what you need, when you need it, and we'll all get through this together," she states.
