HOUSTON 501(c)(3) PROVIDING FREE SERVICE DOG TRAINING FOR VETERANS AND
PAID TRAINING FOR CIVILIANS
SUFFERING FROM PTSD AND OTHER DISABILITIES

COVID-19 and Give Us Paws

To our Give Us Paws family,

We have received notice that a student attending Give Us Paws classes on Saturday, January 9th during the 1:30-2:30 Basic Foundations Skills I class has tested positive for Covid-19. We urge our students who attended this class to take the appropriate precautions of quarantining and testing after 5-7 days.

Who needs to quarantine? People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19—excluding people who have had COVID-19 within the past 3 months. I do not believe that anyone meets the conditions below from attending class, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

What counts as close contact?

  • - You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
  • - You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
  • - You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
  • - You shared eating or drinking utensils
  • - They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

We have always prioritized the safety of our customers, and in these uncertain times, this is no different. We clean and sanitize between every class, but that may not be enough. That's why we are practicing and enforcing best practices for social distancing and self-isolation in the midst of Covid-19. Moving forward, all Give Us Paws classes will be virtual until further notice.

As you know, safety recommendations — including those for our customers and staff — can and will likely change in accordance with the CDC and our state recommendations. Please, keep up-to-date with the latest recommendations by the state and federal government.

We encourage you to stay safe. This includes practicing safe social distancing. We are thinking about our clients and look forward to serving you again in-person, in the future when it is safe to do so.

Until then, connect with us virtually online via Google Meet. This is where we'll hold our classes. We will send instructions to connect to the class event from your Google Calendar.

What to expect from us:

Unfortunately, there is no telling when things will be "back to normal" in any sense. We are carefully monitoring the situation (just like you) and, at this moment, cannot provide an estimated time of reopening. The most important thing is to make sure the full opening in the future happens in a safe environment. We're all in this together, learning together, and adapting together.

We're still available to answer your questions and respond to any concerns, though do keep in mind, the response time might be a little longer than what you're used to.

We're working diligently to adapt to new circumstances while planning for the future. Our clients have always been the heart of our company. We're grateful to you, your ongoing support, and that you're doing your part to keep yourselves and your families safe.

Sincerely,

Paul Buescher, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP
Executive Director - Give Us Paws