… and what about pet grooming?
In mid-April, Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman wrote to Gov. Tom Wolf, asking him to reconsider pet grooming’s classification as a nonessential service.
“I wholeheartedly believe providing grooming service is essential to the health and wellness of our pets,” Sherman wrote, noting he has been contacted by both groomers and owners who are concerned pets’ hygiene routine can be compromised by lack of bathing, nail clipping, gland expression, tooth brushing and ear cleaning.
“We owe it to our ‘best friends’ to see that they receive the best care possible,” wrote Sherman, whose family recently rescued Covee, a Yorkshire terrier-shih tzu mix who joined their first canine, Bentley.
“He’s been a bundle of joy during the quarantine,” Sherman said of the new addition.
“I’m concerned about all our small businesses and believe we should begin to bring back our economy. We have to act swiftly, or our small businesses throughout the Mon Valley, Canonsburg, and the entire county may close permanently,” he said in response to a followup question.
The essential or nonessential nature of animal grooming was discussed Monday by the state House Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee. State Rep. Pam Snyder was among nine “no” votes, but Republican members and one Democrat voted to advance the measure to the full House.
“People love their pets and want to take good care of them, and I understand that,” Snyder wrote in response to an email inquiry.
“But we need to reopen in a smart, safe and strategic manner, which is why I voted in favor of allowing curbside sales for retail stores. We need to see the reopening plan and where our counties fall at the end of next week.”