Muttz with Mannerz opened on December 19, 2019 after struggling for 11-months with contractors and renovations. As a new business to be hit with COVID-19 was tough and challenging, but, “We overcame so many challenges last year we knew we could get through this. I feel it will be a good 12 months before we are operating at full capacity and it’s ever evolving as we are revamping and creating new programs and services for our clients,” said owner Corey McCusker.

OTR interviewed Corey in February for the April edition. “We’ve been tracking Corey’s progress since 2018,” said Economic Development Officer Dave Tuley. “Corey was finally in at a stage of development where she was comfortable – ready for the public.” Then things changed.

March 14, 2020

Muttz with Mannerz closed the Groomin Salon, cancelled all socialization playdates and the dog training group classes. “We kept our doggy daycare open for essential workers and front-line staff, as we were able to after inquiring with the government,” said Corey Muttz had to lay off their Groomer, Receptionist and Dog Trainers, plus one daycare staff. Despite the hard work and investment, rent relief was barely in the cards. “We requested rent relief on March 15. The Landlord agreed to defer our April 1 rent to April 15. We are still following up with them to see if they will be able to take advantage of the rent relief program announced by the Government,” reported Corey.

Federal relief programs have these made a difference for Muttz. “Thank God! We have taken advantage of the $40K loan and the wage subsidiary for our one remaining employee. This has been so helpful,” she said.

Resiliency

Muttz with Mannerz has shown great resiliency. No human clients could enter the facility, so they picked up dogs at the curbside, and this will remain in place until all is clear. Corey started a weekly educational puppy series and shared it on social media and email to help those new puppy owners. She also posted important tips such as potty training, crate training, how to deal with biting and nipping, etc.

“Both myself and our Educational Manager, Diane Purser, are developing a puppy education portal for our website now. Our groomer, Kelli Gillis and I did a video series to help our clients groom their dogs at home and provided the tools and techniques needed,” said Corey.

“The training we offered in daycare for the puppies and dogs made us realize how our services added so much value because we customized it to each dog not just the entire pack,” she said.

The Muttz facility has enabled them to provide highly interactive games and training to those dogs that need it – not only physically inside, but also virtually.

Looking Forward

Muttz with Mannerz is being especially positive, considering they were forced to close as soon as they opened.

“I’ve learned more valuable ways to enrich our daycare to provided even better service to our clients. We will be adding fitness programs through our enriched daycare down the road. Our groomer has revisited her offerings and
will be providing specialty grooms.” Kelli took courses to ensure the grooming salon is COVID-19 safe.

“We always valued our diverse team and the enhanced knowledge within it. COVID-19 has allowed many of us to gain more knowledge via virtual training and courses offered so we will be even better than before.”

“Our clients appreciate the value that we provide to them especially the daycare and grooming services and we want to continue to exceed their expectations and provide a safe, clean place to care for their pets,” concludes Corey.

This is not the interview or article that OTR was expecting to write just a few short months ago; however, Muttz remains a good story to