Pet Mania Has Swept The World

More than 23 million American households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). They call them “Pandemic Pets” and the last 2 years has seen a surge in pet ownership never seen before. Today we will cover the global phenomenal of pet ownership, how it has changed the way we live and work and how we can better care for our furry friends now that the pandemic is coming to an end and life is starting to go back to pre-2020 levels.

Lucky for me, I already had a dog during the pandemic which made the 5-week lockdown in early 2020 a lot better for my mental health than if I was on my own. Anybody who has had a dog will attest that they are the best companions you could have, and my dog is just a natural joy-giver and fun to be around.

Quite early on, a lot of people discovered that the pandemic was not really going to go away anytime soon, and life would probably take a while to return to ‘normal’. A significant number of businesses allowed their staff to work from home, work flexibly or unfortunately for some, they just simply had no work. This meant that some previous barriers to pet ownership mainly around being home to look after them, simply vanished!

The benefits

During the lockdowns and subsequent restrictions these adopted pets have been saviours for millions of people around the world. By being home for longer periods of time; pet owners have been able to find ways to exercise their dogs, better look after them and give them the time and care necessary to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

The downsides

Although for the most part, owners would have had positive experiences from their new furry family members, a significant number of people have found themselves rueing the decision. The pandemic is now almost over, and people have started to go back to their old lives. Unfortunately, the same reasons that prevented them from getting pets in the first place are now a reality and owners are struggling to balance their old lives with having to look after their pets.

This is evident in the increase in pet services like dog walking and dog kennels but also a rise in abandonment and mistreatment/abuse of animals. Luckily a survey by the ASPCA found that 90% of pandemic dogs and 85% of pandemic cat owners do not plan to re-home their pets in the near future. This is great news for pets in America and a statistic that we at Gottaget are extremely happy to hear.

What can we do to make our dogs’ life happier and comfortable post pandemic?

• If you have had to go back to work and cannot spend as much time as you used to with your dog, then enrol it into a doggy day care for a few days a week
• Slowly train your dog to get used to being on its own by gradually increasing the time you are away from it. Separation anxiety can be very hard on dogs and should be treated with great caution.
• Hire a dog walker a few days a week. This can be more cost effective than doggy day cares
• Buddy up with a friend who also had a dog and take turns leaving your pooches at each other’s houses when at work. This way they can have company when you are away at work
• Negotiate a flexible work arrangement so you can work a few days or hours from home to be with your dog.

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