Like most business owners, those in the pet industry didn’t know what to expect in March 2020 when the pandemic abruptly shut most everything down and sent people home to work. “When everything started shutting down, and travel screeched to a halt, I was really concerned that the business would really suffer,” said Sonia Brandley, […]
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Like most business owners, those in the pet industry didn’t know what to expect in March 2020 when the pandemic abruptly shut most everything down and sent people home to work.
“When everything started shutting down, and travel screeched to a halt, I was really concerned that the business would really suffer,” said Sonia Brandley, owner of Cedar Run Pet Boarding and Day Care in Hiawatha. “I have 50 employees, and I was concerned that I was going to do layoffs and everything like that.”
In 2019, about 70% of her business was generated by boarding revenue. To compensate for the halt in travel and activities, she increased her grooming business and expanded Cedar Run’s training programs.
“Before the pandemic, I offered dog training at Cedar Run for just dogs that had been adopted. We didn’t really charge for it because there wasn’t such a big push for it,” Ms. Brandley said. “In 2020, we saw 300% growth in our training program. In fact, we have grown so much that we are building a new facility. We are closing on the property in March and hopefully will start building in April or May.”
Phil O’Brien, a Realtor and co-owner of Urban Acres Real Estate in Coralville, also had cause for concern in March 2020, when the pandemic threatened to derail his plans for a multipurpose community center catering to both animals and humans.
During the polar vortex in the winter of 2019 that left Iowa in a frozen tundra for days on end, he came up with the idea for pet owners like himself who were struggling to let their dogs outside.
“I started Googling indoor dog centers, parks, anything, and that was it,” he said. “I thought it would be a really cool place to have locally and it would be a nice draw for the local community. That was the mainstay for it.”
When COVID-19 took hold in spring 2020, his marketing research seemed for naught as the crumbling economy spooked some project investors.
But the pandemic had the opposite effect on the pet industry, which exploded as people working from home and hunkering down to avoid spreading the virus decided they needed a furry friend to keep them company.
More than 23 million American households — nearly one in five nationwide — have adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Cedar Valley Humane Society (CVHS), a nonprofit organization in Cedar Rapids that provides animal services to residents in unincorporated Linn County and other small communities, has seen an uptick in adoptions in the past two years.
“I think people realize that pets can be really therapeutic, especially when you’re forced to quarantine and be alone, and you’re working from home and need a companion,” said Amanda Knefley, director of operations at CVHS. “Our dogs have always gone really fast. Our cats now do too, and typically within a week are gone.”
Back on track
This trend bodes well for entrepreneurs like Mr. O’Brien, who plans to break ground this spring on W.A.L.K. Canine Community at 2513 Highlander Place in Iowa City. He hopes to be up and running by the end of the year.
Plans have been amended to include more co-working space so people can continue to have their dogs nearby while on the job.
“The funny thing is that long before this whole COVID thing even hit, we did actually have some CoLab space designed into the project because we thought that was a cool idea that you could go and work and have your dog run around being supervised or have your dog in the office with you because it was obviously pet friendly,” he said.
“We increased the CoLab space because I felt that we’re going to try to get back to normal for the most part, but there’s always going to be fluidity between working from home and working from the office,” he continued. “We’re going to have people with new pets that don’t want to leave them at home with anxiety or whatnot.”
When employees stopped going to the office and worked from home, Ms. Brandley didn’t know what to expect for her dog day care.
“I was not sure how that was going to work at first because I thought, well, ‘they’re home, they’re not going to want to bring their dog.’ I was concerned that if they’re going to be home more that we were going to see a decrease in our day care numbers,” she said. “But what we found out was that they’re on the phone a lot, and if their dogs are barking while they’re on a Zoom call or what have you, they need a break from them. A lot of dogs benefit from day care. Even if they only come one to two times a week, which is kind of the norm, It makes them tired, makes them happier, engages their mind and not just their physical needs.”
Partners, not competitors
Since the initial launch of W.A.L.K. Canine Community was announced over a year ago, Mr. O’Brien has seen a large influx of membership pledges.
“Without even opening, we have almost 400 people who have signed up for a membership pledge,” he said. “Now, with the new relaunch with the website, we came up with a lifetime membership and those have been readily received as well. I’m probably only going to sell 125 of those.”
Day passes and punch cards will also be available for nonmembers, even without pets.
“During our marketing research, we talked to a few people who were at the city dog park just there eating lunch. They said, ‘we don’t even have dogs. We just wanted to come; it’s relaxing watching them run around,’” Mr. O’Brien said.
He isn’t interested in competing with the local pet industry, but rather in complementing services.
“We don’t offer boarding because that’s already available,” he said. “We don’t really offer day care because that’s where you drop your dog off and leave. We want people to remain at the center, but we offer supervision if you have to meet with a client or go grab a beverage or a sandwich. It’s a fully staffed off-leash area. We have people trained in pet behavior interacting with your pet and watching out for safety and reinforcing commands.”
He also envisions renting out spaces for dog training and inviting shelters to bring their animals to the center for an adoption day.
Preparing pet owners
Ms. Knefley at CVHS advises those new to pet ownership to do their research and be fully aware of the commitment it takes to care for the animal.
“If you’re getting a dog, definitely make sure you have the time for it to get exercise and socialize with other animals if they can,” she said. “And, obviously, the financial aspect – make sure they’re going to the vet yearly to get vaccines up to date and make sure everything’s going good on that end. Any unexpected emergencies can happen, so we always recommend pet insurance. A lot of people aren’t prepared for a $2,000 vet visit.”
CVHS outsources its spay, neuter and other surgeries to Anamosa Vet Clinic and Heartland Animal Hospital every week, if possible.
“We’ve seen kind of a shortage with doctors right now, kind of delaying it on our end, but we’ve made it work,” Ms. Knefley said.
Veterinary clinics have also seen a sharp increase in new patients as more people have adopted pets during the pandemic, and those who already had pets have spent more time with them.
“I think what happened was during the pandemic, people started to notice things like their dogs have a lump or something like that,” Ms. Knefley said. “Everybody’s going in and taking better care of their animals and being more attentive and just kind of realizing, ‘hey, these are family members, we’ve got to make sure everything’s going good.’”
