As many of you are aware, there have been some cases of canine flu in NC. I have been keeping up with all the reports and have consulted my veterinarian regarding how PBH should respond to this disease.
Fortunately, although the virus can be airborne, our outdoor facility greatly minimizes the chance that the virus will linger in the air to infect another dog. The greater risk for infection comes from direct dog-to-dog contact or from a human spreading the disease between dogs. We are taking the following steps to reduce the chance that any dog could be exposed while training at our facility.
1. Dogs will be kept separate and no dog-dog interactions will be allowed.
2. Humans are discouraged from interacting with other dogs. If you do interact with another dog (petting, feeding, playing with a toy, etc) please use hand sanitizer thoroughly before and after. We have provided hand sanitizer in all training areas.
3. Instructors will use hand sanitizer before and after working with a student’s dog.
4. Baby pools should not be used to cool your dog, instead please use the hose to spray your dog.
5. Please bring your own:
a. Water bowl
b. Toys
c. Target
d. Mat
6. If your dog sneezes, coughs, has eye discharge, a fever or is acting lethargic, please do not come to PBH, instead contact your veterinarian.
It is incredibly important to remember that dogs can spread the disease without ever showing symptoms or before becoming symptomatic, so EVERYONE should follow the above precautions. By doing so, we can all continue to enjoy our classes at PBH while minimizing the risk of our dogs contracting this disease.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly.
Thanks and see you in class!
Val and the PBH Team