The other day we got a cancellation of an overnight stay at Cat Safari. Frankly, these past weeks we’ve been getting plenty of cancellations of both overnight stays at both Cat Safari and the Main Campground as well as doggie day care reservations at the Main Campground. We completely understand why this is happening, that it has nothing to do with Pet Camp or the love we give the dogs and cats when they are with us, and that we are, for lack of a better term, collateral damage in the fight against Covid-19.
Of course, understanding something and being happy about something are two very different things. We are not happy about the stress Covid-19 is causing to San Francisco, the state of California, the nation and the world. We are not happy that while so far all the counselors are healthy, they are worried about their health (something the 20 and 30 something crowd should never have to worry about). Frankly, we’re not happy that we are worrying about balancing counselor hours with both occupancy and our ability to pay bills.
That said, we are happy that pet parents are asking about how we are doing. We know that, like us, all of you are worried about an amazing array of things right now. We know that it’s easy to get wrapped up in the cascade of bad news from Washington and from Wall Street. Wondering how we’re doing? Let us answer: Pet Camp has been through the dotcom bust, September 11th and the Great Recession. None of these experiences were fun and they all contributed to Mark’s gray hair (the dotcom bust) and now lack of hair (the Great Recession), but each time Pet Camp has weathered the storm and, in many ways, came out a better business.
We are fortunate to have amazing counselors who stay at Pet Camp far longer than the industry average; it could be the health care, the 401k plan, and the scholarship opportunities we offer, or it could be that they just love your pets. We are fortunate that we’ve already invested in state-of-the-art cleaning and disinfecting technology for your camper’s well-being, so while others are scrambling to purchase disinfectant wipes, we are using our Electrostatic Sprayers. We are fortunate to have 25,000 square feet of play space for your dog to enjoy at the Main Campground, fans that exchange the air every 4.5 minutes, and a glass retractable roof to bring in natural light (the best disinfectant of all), so while others are worrying about social distancing and ensuring health and safety, we’ve got that covered.
We could share a lot of information about how Covid-19 is spread, that your dog or cat can’t catch Covid-19 from you and that you can’t catch it from them – but we know that you’ve gotten all this information from everyone, from your veterinarian to the Hub Grub guy.
Although those of us responsible for balancing the books are not having a great time right now, the counselors are here providing amazing care for the pets. We are open for business and are committed to remaining an active member of the San Francisco small business community. If you have specific needs during this uncertain time, from adding pick up or drop off to wanting us to have a counselor come to your car when picking up or dropping off, just ask. We continue to invest in making Pet Camp the best pet care facility in San Francisco, for this too shall pass and we really appreciate you asking how we are doing.
Thanks for reading.