An Orlando doggie daycare temporarily shut down by a dog flu outbreak is expected to reopen this week after undergoing rigorous sanitation protocols "like a hazmat situation."

Woof! Orlando on Edgewater Drive in College Park was closed after some clients' dogs last week showed signs of what appeared to be a cold, owner Michelle Olds said Monday.

A local veterinarian then called the boarding, grooming and daycare facility with a confirmed case of canine influenza.

Since then, they've been sanitizing the facility "more than what the recommended sanitation (protocols are)," Olds said. "Today, all of our staff has come in and cleaned every square inch of the building." They also plan to have a company clean the ventilation system, and a robot will be sent in to kill bacteria with UV light.

"We've put a lot really strict safety protocols in place. Everyone who comes here now will have to be buzzed at the door and they'll be screened," she said.

Olds said she and her staff have been trying to educate the public about how dog flu is spread. She said a vaccination isn't the only thing you must do to prevent transmission.

"We have to treat this almost as a hazmat situation. When we leave (the facility) and go home and before we touch our animals, we have to change and take a shower," she said.

"If I walk by an (exposed) dog on the street, and if the dog coughs on me or rubs his nose up on me, I could potentially go home and pet my dogs... and now my dog is exposed," Olds said.

She said some local vets who have potential dog flu cases are examining pets in their owners' cars because they don't want the dog to infect their animal hospital.

"We're hoping other local facilities will follow the same protocols (as us), so we can get this out of the area as soon as possible," Olds said.


Woof! Orlando in College Park discovered the canine influenza outbreak last week after a veterinarian called to confirm that it had a case. Since then, the animal facility has undertaken rigorous sanitation protocols. (News 13)