Mise à jour sur la pétitionPlease make Pet Grooming In Melbourne/Victoria Essential in lockdown for Animal WelfarePassing 17.5k Letter sent to The Premier, the CHO and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne.
Jo MarsdenSydney, Australie
6 sept. 2021
- Ms Jo Marsden
Address removed for privacy
Mob: 0409 250 968
Email: thedogwhiskerer@gmail.com
TO:
The Hon Daniel Andrews MP, Premier of Victoria
via email to daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au
Professor Brett Sutton, Chief Health Officer (Victoria)
via online enquiry at https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/chief-health-officer/contact
COPY:
Her Worship the Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp
via email to lordmayor@melbourne.vic.gov.au.
Dear Premier and Professor Sutton
REQUEST FOR PET GROOMERS TO BE ADDED TO THE AUTHORISED WORKERS LIST
My name is Jo Marsden and I am a qualified animal groomer formerly residing in the state of Victoria. I have been travelling Australia and New Zealand teaching grooming full time for several years. I operate a lockdown support group for groomers and I am setting up an Association for our industry.
I am writing to you on behalf business owners and workers in the pet grooming industry to request that pet groomers be added to the authorised providers list during current and future Stay At Home Directions. We make this request as we are concerned about the welfare of companion animals, in particular dog breeds with long coats and Poodle x breeds that make up 80 % of our clients and who require regular maintenance for welfare reasons.
Requested amendment
We request ‘pet groomers’ as described on the www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au website, be listed as an authorised provider for the purpose of:
1. grooming of cats, dogs or other companion animals requiring grooming services such as clipping, shaving, brushing]; or
2. washing of cats, dogs or other companion animals, in addition to the grooming services listed in paragraph 1, where it is reasonable to assess the animal’s owner is unable to carry out the tasks themselves;
3. contactless services are maintained; and a covid safe plan is registered
4. the service is provided by a person holding relevant ABN, experience and qualifications in animal grooming
Please note we request this apply to all qualified pet groomers, be they mobile, retail shop front or home based, where the services can be provided by contactless means.
Reasons pet grooming is required for animal welfare
Pet grooming is an essential service for the welfare of companion animals. Many dogs have coats that will, without proper grooming, cause the animal great distress, injury and illness. Failure to properly groom companion animals who normally receive regular grooming, is in violation with the ethos of POCTAA which addresses the “ Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals”.
Forcing people to neglect their animals is unconscionable where there is capacity for the industry to operate no differently to a veterinary surgery in our capacity to keep people outside and provide contactless transfer of animals via gates and crates. This could easily be specified.
Current restrictions refer to welfare with no definition of welfare.
Furthermore, grooming of companion animals takes special skills, learned through formal study and training. . We have noticed a number of animals are becoming injured, in some cases at a risk to their life, due to their owners attempting to groom them at home. Owner grooming has caused serious injuries such as large cuts or wounds that require veterinary (including surgical) treatment. In addition to the skills required for grooming companion animals, specialist equipment is used. We have seen desperate owners cause serious injury to their animals using blunt kitchen scissors or other inappropriate equipment.
Result of continued lockdowns with little notice put pressure on the animal grooming workforce
Many animal companion owners seek urgent grooming when lockdowns are lifted to a level allowing for pet grooming. There is an insufficient number of mobile pet groomers to provide services to all the animals with serious welfare concerns during the short periods of time between lockdowns. Recently, lengthy lockdowns were separated by only a week.
Even when lockdowns are lifted, the grooming workforce (including mobile, retail shop front and at home businesses) cannot provide services to all the companion animals, particularly dogs, who urgently require grooming before the next lockdown.
The service can be provided in the same manner as other businesses providing click and collect services
We maintain that animal grooming services are essential and should be allowed to continue during Stay At Home Directions. However, we also draw a comparison of the provision of grooming services to non-essential click and collect services offered by many retail business, such as book shops, gift shops and large retailers.
The essential animal grooming services we offer can be provided in a contactless manner, in that an owner will transfer the animal in an outdoor area, once the owner leaves, we will take the animal to the work area for grooming, and then the animal will be returned to the owner via a secure pen or crate. when the grooming is complete. This is no different to the transfer of physical goods and money when using a click and collect service. Payment can also be contactless.
Limit on travel to 5 km
Masks worn hand sanitiser used.
Qr code’s for tracing.
Industry Vaccination drive.
We also offer to individually sight and sign off a covid safe plan of every business and issue a permit if that helps. We can provide far more control of what industry members do this way than leaving current restrictions ambiguously worded and open to exploitation of a loophole.
Animal welfare
As the people responsible for animal companion welfare, we should not be forcing them to endure discomfort, illness, disease and injury by not providing the essential services required for their welfare.
We understand the seriousness of the pandemic on the health and wellbeing of Victorians. However, we do not believe the Stay At Home Directions are meant to override the welfare laws meant to protect animals. Furthermore, we do not believe the provision of contact free grooming services will contribute to the effect the pandemic is having on our health services.
I expect that prior to the pandemic, if an animal with coat issues similar to the attached photos was reported to the RSPCA, the owner would face animal cruelty charges as they have not maintained the basic welfare requirements for a dog of that particular breed. Why then is animal cruelty considered acceptable when groomers are happy and able to comply with COVID safe measures when performing this essential service?
Companion animals provide comfort and support during difficult times
It is well established that animal companions are often seen as family members, and provide comfort, companionship and support to their human family members. There are many news reports about the increase in pet ownership since the pandemic began.
There are many reasons in which a person owns a dog, but are unable to attend to crucial elements of their care such as coat maintenance. They therefore rely on pet grooming services to ensure the welfare of their animal companion.
Watching their much loved animal companions in distress due to issues with their coat is an additional and unnecessary stress during these very difficult times.
We can attend to the welfare needs of animal companions, while protecting ourselves and our clients from coronavirus
Groomers are vital for the overall health and wellbeing of our animal companions, and whilst the focus of brushing a dog daily to prevent matting and welfare cases is in the owners’ hands, it’s not always as simple as that. For example, some dogs’ coats challenge the most experience groomers due to their thickness, length and response to normal grooming practices.
Grooming is a vocation and by no means an easy job, and we should be recognised for our contribution the welfare of animal companions. As pet professionals, we provide much needed services. We have the professionalism and due diligence to call ourselves one of the most COVID safe establishments as our locations must be secure to keep the dogs inside; meaning we can equally keep the people outside.
Yours faithfully
Jo Marsden
On behalf of the pet groomers, pet owners and the pets of Victoria
Attachments:
A - ‘ a collage of photos, from real customers demonstrating matting and potential injury to eye caused by overgrown, ungroomed hair.
showing partial grooming where you can see their coat has become long and severely matted
showing partial grooming where you can see their coat has become long and severely mattered.
showing faeces stick to the rear of an animal after the matted coat was removed with an extremely short blade.
D - Tiktok screenshot showing severely matted and potentially distressed dog. The text reads, “Help. Dog Grooming is not permitted in Victoria. We can work with no contact. If we open for welfare we will be fined or arrested. Please go to https://www.change.org/Melbournelockdownpets
E – letters from pet owners
D – letters from pet groomers.
Facebook video showing simple covid safe drop off abd collection. Please – please watch this video
https://fb.watch/7Imyk4_sAu/
Big paws little paws dog grooming. Hoppers Crossing Victoria
Showing zero contact.
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