Your pets are part of your family, but you already knew that! You want them to be comfortable and safe, that’s a given. Due to Covid-19, our lives have been turned upside down, but to be honest I think it’s been great for many of our pets. We have been spending lots of time together, it’s been so nice.

Usually in our busy life, we may skip a walk or a playtime is sacrificed for the sake of completing a work or school task. But, Covid-19 has put a stop to all of this, we have had so much time to ponder about life and seeking love and reassurance from our pets. We walked with them, one, two sometimes three times a day. We played with them, they slept on our laps whilst we watched the Prime Minister and State Premiers give their daily Covid-19 updates. Our pets were there for us in our time of need and we were more present than ever.

Now that schools and businesses are opening things are going to be a lot different at home for our pets. For us it might be going back business as usual, but for our pets, it will be a difficult time. They are going to miss that extra time with us and let’s be honest we are going to miss their unconditional love and emotional support. There is going to be an adjustment to say the least so I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you and your pets navigate through this change;

• If your pet is home alone, leave them something to remember you by, for example a piece of your clothing, or a toy which smells like you.
• Make sure that you have a designated play time at least once a day either before or after work.
• If your situation permits, arrange for a pet sitter / dog walker to walk or play with your pets while you are at work.
• Ask your family and friends to check in on your pets during the day while you are at work.
• Check out pet day care centres in your area that offer fun and engaging activities for pets
• Give them extra special attention when you arrive home for the day. This will give them a positive feeling and will help create a new routine, one they will look forward to.
• Different pets have different needs, we encourage you to lean in and understand what they need from you.
• Pay attention, our pets unfortunately cannot communicate with words but if we focus our attention we can pick up clues about how they feel and respond accordingly.
• If your pet shows signs of extreme anxiety, please talk to your vet for their expert advice. There a products available to help pets with anxiety.

I know that my dog Titan has really enjoyed having me at home and whilst I have loved the extra family time.  Knowing that Titan may struggle going back to the way things were , I have been mentally preparing for this “return to normal” and I’ll be definitely taking my own advice to help my sweet boy with the transition.
Take care everyone and please stay safe!

PETS Team.