'A really big boom': Calgary businesses catering to pets thrive during pandemic
Isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic has had many Calgarians seeking companionship from cats and dogs.
And now entrepreneurs who were starting their pet supply businesses in 2019 have seen a massive boom more than a year later.
"We saw an increase of 600 per cent on, I believe it was March 15 when it was declared a pandemic," said Jarrod Warkentin, the owner of Fetch and Stay. "We were ready, you know, there were no hiccups."
Warkentin has a storefront but his main focus is on free pet food delivery to customers.
"My grandma, she had two cats," said Warkentin. "She had to take the C-train to go to the pet store, pick up the litter, haul it back and (in the) wintertime too."
The delivery service is so popular he's had to hire more staff to transport dog and cat food to pet owners all over Calgary.
"We now have a full time driver," he said. "We're delivering five days a week, sometimes six days a week, we're looking at hiring another part time driver pretty soon."
Gulnaz Zagidullina is a dog trainer and typically has more than a dozen pooches at her home just east of Calgary. She says many new pet owners struggle to train their dogs properly.
"And all this amount of dogs we got during this pandemic was overwhelming," said Zagidullina. "I think a lot of dogs got this anxiety happening because they never got properly socialized."
She wanted a way for dogs to exercise and expend energy in a healthy way and came up with an idea.
"I always dreamed about having my own facility with a pool so and I got this opportunity to open up," said Zagidullina.
In the summer of 2020 she offered swimming lessons for dogs and rented the space out to dog owners to bring their pets to exercise and cool down in the summer heat.
"This was a great thing for the dogs who couldn't go out there and see everyone and they saw the pool, they start swimming, it's safe, it's fun, it's healthy and owners loved it, dogs loved it so I think that was the perfect timing actually," said Zagidullina.
Paws en Route is a pet transportation service in Toronto and Vancouver and is now opening in Calgary. It offers rides for all kinds of pets. Drivers will take pets on their own or with the owner to the vet, daycare or to socialize with a friend according to CEO and founder Dacia Roehler.
"We saw a really big boom during the pandemic and continue to see it because we're still in the pandemic," said Roehler. "We saw a lot of what I call long haul rides so we were picking pets up from breeders and taking them to their forever homes or booking flights for them to get to their forever homes."
Roehler came up with the idea in 2017 when she struggled to find a ride to the veterinarian for her golden lab Finn. She didn't want any other pet owner to experience that hardship.
"For a short haul it can run depending on where you're going because it could be longer and where you live, but it can run you $25 to about $60 for a ride and so roughly around or slightly cheaper than a taxi," said Roehler.
She wants to expend her business in all major Canadian cities and then south of the border into the U.S.
Learn more about Fetch and Stay here and Paws en Route here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.