Pets, Their Behaviour & COVID-19
The global pandemic at the start of the 2020s turned everyone's lives upside down, with the vast majority of us having to work from home while being incredibly thankful for the key workers who continued to keep our vital services running. The surge of people working from home was something that the global society had not had to deal with before, leading to new behaviours and attitudes. The increase in sales of home improvements, office furniture, comfortable clothing, and walking accessories are no surprise, but another industry also had a huge boom - the pet industry. Being at home meant that people had more time and appreciation for their pets or made them realise that they now had time to welcome a first time or additional animal into their home. Animal lovers already know that a pet is excellent company regardless of whether you live alone or in a busy home, so it's no surprise that many people opt to bring a pet into their lives. Pets are also an excellent way for children to learn about animals, the responsibility of care, and having company when they are unable to see their friends and family, so it's easy to see why so many animals got new homes.
Animal charities did provide warnings after the increase in sales/rescue of dogs, cats, rabbits, and other household pets led to an increase in these animals needing to be rehomed after a period of time. The need to rehome animals could be because people's circumstances may have changed, or they may have realised that they were not prepared to care for the animals effectively, whether physically or financially. Welcoming an animal into your home should only be a decision after plenty of consideration, research, and discussion, and they are certainly a significant and ongoing financial investment. Animals such as cats and dogs can live up to 14 years or more, so you need to think about owning a pet's long-term implications. Even rabbits can live for up to 10 years. While no one can know exactly what to expect from life, especially after the unexpected events at the start of the 2020s, you can better care for a pet effectively if you have a secure home and financial stability.
Those of us who already had pets before the global pandemic may have noticed many behaviour changes in our animals. It may have been the case that your pets were previously used to being at home on their own for extended periods. As much as we had to adjust to being confined to our homes, our pets had to change to us being there when we usually weren't. Our increased time at home was an excellent opportunity to bond with our pets and know them even better. With social distancing in place, many people started to become more active as their only way to get out of the house, so dogs loved this change with their increase in walks. In some cases, you may have become more aware of any areas of training you may have neglected with your dog, which could lead to an investment of a dog whistle with a lanyard for easy access on your increased walks to encourage obedience training. For many people, the relationship with their animals was a real saviour in this scary and uncertain time in world events.
As our animals get used to us being around them a lot more, it is crucial to think about how life has changed for them. Suppose you are returning to your shared office or doing a mix of remote working. In that case, you might want to consider spending a dedicated amount of time in your evening playing and sitting with your animal so they don't feel abandoned by the change. If possible, you could always try to go back home on your lunch break if you are out of the house. If you have a friend or relative who is still working remotely or at home in general, maybe ask them if they would like to go and work from your house for a few hours one day a week to keep your animal company. Dogs and cats especially may take some adjusting to you leaving the house more frequently, so it's essential for their happiness that you find ways to deal with this effectively.