OTTAWA -- Pet owners may take Fluffy and Fido to the pet groomers in Ottawa and across Ontario.

The Ontario government is adding pet grooming services to the list of essential businesses allowed to open during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the office of Solicitor General Sylvia Jones says pet grooming businesses can open if they:

  1. Are strictly necessary to prevent an animal from requiring foreseeable and reasonably imminent veterinary care; or
  2. Are providing services that an animal owner has been required to obtain pursuant to an order issued under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019

Pet grooming services allowed to open to provide the services must only provide services by appointment only, only book one appointment for one animal at a time and only operate with curbside pickup and drop-off of the animal.

Owners and employees in grooming businesses had called on the Ontario government to add pet grooming services to the list of essential businesses.

A petition calling on Ontario to allow pet groomers to open during the lockdown received more than 18,000 signatures.