5.9 C
Niagara Falls
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Letter: Dog groomers provide essential service. Let them open

The following is a copy of a letter to Lord Mayor Betty Disero and senior town administrators:

While the provincial government urges us to support local business and buy Canadian, I am disturbed by the seemingly singular interpretation of a town administrator.

Judging from three January 2021 articles in the The Lake Report and other area media, the small business of pet grooming is shut down here in NOTL because there is “no room for interpretation.”

 It appears that our mayor and CAO have become hostage to the decision. It is disturbing, when representatives like MPP Wayne Gates are known to have stated that the decision is a municipal matter. It seems illogical and inconsistent that Niagara Falls is permitting pet groomers to ply their trade while the Town of NOTL is not. 

I urge you to speak with Ken Todd, chief administrator of the City of Niagara Falls. Apparently he held a senior staff meeting which came to the conclusion that pet groomers are allowed to tend to pets. Please consult this colleague as to how the meeting of senior advisers’ interpretation came to be. 

We need assistance in opening up the way for common sense to prevail in the matter of caring for our four-legged friends. Many persons, as well as pets, will benefit.  

I am in my eighth decade and do not have the professional equipment, nor the skill set in order to rid my “best friend” of her increasingly matted hair. It is with increasing pain and discomfort on my physical being and great distress for my dog having to endure what only a professional can successfully manage. I fear for her physical health and well-being.  

Purchasing the necessary equipment supports the large chain pet stores and the quality of products is certainly not that of a professional. I cannot support the small business owner when my municipal government interprets otherwise. We cannot sustain our own mental health and well-being if we cannot sustain the health and well-being of the persons and creatures that provide the caregiving.

Let me assure you that groomer Liz Chorney, when she was allowed, provided perfect safety regulations – a two chamber entranceway so that masked owners and groomers do not make any contact.  

The very government that expects me to abide with regular inoculations and other rules, may charge me with pet abuse and is also disallowing me the opportunity to provide for the best health care of my dog.  

The decision made by the town should reflect the health and well-being of dogs and other pets, their owners and the livelihood of groomers in addition to veterinarians.  

Please note that the small region of NOTL appears to have very few dog groomers compared to the number of dogs residing in our midst. The duration of the lockdowns exacerbate the condition of our canine friends.  Please allow the businesses of pet grooming to be resumed.

Nancy Macri

NOTL

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