Dogs Are Also Suffering from the COVID-19 Pandemic

When people think about the effects that coronavirus is having on the world, they think about the lost lives and the suffering economy. But, it has not been easy for our friends too.

Tell me you wouldn’t be confused if suddenly all you can see of your parent’s face is their eyes. Alex Savas, a dog parent for four years now, notes that soon as the directive to wear masks was issued, his dog started barking at people who wore them.

“I think it was hard to not be able to observe facial expressions, for him, on people that we came across,” Savas says.

Savas dealt with the issue by inviting some two friends to wear masks around his house and offer treats to the dog. It worked and now the dog doesn’t bark at strangers in the streets. This is not the only way dogs have been affected.

See, when the world went into lockdown people that were normally at work the whole day started working from home. This meant they were with their dogs a lot more than usual. Now, the dogs have gotten accustomed to the constant companionship and are having trouble being left alone for long periods. Tara Clever, the vice president for marketing for a tech firm in D.C. says that pre-coronavirus, her dog Logan had no trouble being left home while she went to work.

Now, Logan won’t even let her take important work calls. Anytime she wants to get to a meeting she has to go through a 10-minute ritual of convincing Logan to wait in his crate until she is done. It’s the same story for Mary Anne and her 3-year-old Rottweiler.

“I can’t actually close the bathroom door or else he will hit his head on the door to be let in.” Mary Anne says.

Tracy Krulik, a dog trainer in Northern Virginia advises that you start preparing your dog for the time you eventually return to work to avoid behavioral issues. But, after everything is said and done, the pandemic presents a great time to form deeper bonds with your pup and understand them. Take advantage of it.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay