COVID-19 and Isolation Continues

I know we have all had our fill of hearing about this deadly virus and trying to cope with and get through this pandemic. We are told that, as long as we all do our share and abide by the rules and restrictions in place, we will eventually get through it and get back to living a fairly normal life once again. Thinking ahead to the future and hoping to once again lead a more normal way of life, we need to start now to learn how to best prepare for the changes ahead. For the most part, we have all been isolating ourselves in our homes for a little over a month now. Some of us have been fortunate enough to have a job and have been able to work from home and have probably been able to get into a routine. Some of us who are retired and not working have also had to change our daily routines a great deal and are spending much more time at home with our pets than usual.

Regardless of the circumstances, we've all been spending a lot more time in our homes and with our pets, whether it be extra walks each day or playtime in the yard, our pets have also been getting into a new routine. As a result, they are getting used to receiving a lot more attention and having you there all the time. So what’s going to happen when this pandemic is finally over and life as we once knew it returns to a more normal way of life? I’m sure as humans we will all be more than relieved and will probably be a little cautious and wary, but will get back to our old routines very quickly. On the other hand our beloved pets, who are so resilient and have been there with us throughout this ordeal, will not quite understand the changes. They will find it much harder to change this new way of life they have been living and have learned to enjoy.

When things get back to normal and we return to our routines of leaving for work or school each day, or going out to do errands, attending sporting events, or even going out for a night on the town, we will all be much happier. However, our four legged friends will be feeling sad and alone.

As nice as it is to be able to spend more time at home with the ones we love, our little fur balls have now gotten used to having you there 24/7 and they are probably not going to be very happy or eager to change this new way of life. What we need to do now is to start conditioning our pets to stay home alone and to be able to find their own way of amusing themselves. Let’s start by making a plan of leaving our furry friends at home alone for a short time each day. You could start by taking a walk by yourself, have a social distance conversation with a friend or neighbor, or even go for a drive around the neighborhood. If you are in any way compromised to leave your home, either by age, disability or a compromised immune system, you may want to consider taking up a new or previous hobby. If that’s the case, you can put your pet in his crate or a room where he would normally be on his own and then pretend you are leaving the house and go to another room or another part of your home. You can leave a radio on for your furry friend too to act as a distraction. This is something we should try to get into a routine of doing each and every day and each day increase the time you are away from your pet. You may think this is a little strange but when the time comes that we go back to a more normal lifestyle, it won’t be such a shock to our pets. You will find that they will adjust much quicker and not be as stressed at being home alone.