How Our Pets Were Superheros in 2020
Speaking from experience, my dog was the real life superhero of 2020, and I’m sure you would attest to the same, turning to your dog for love, comfort and even understanding when you were confused and frazzled by the changes and turns that came with last year’s events.
Through thick and thin our dogs are there with us, ready with tippity tappity toes for you to get out of the bed in the morning, for their morning cuddles, food and for a walk, getting you both out the door, out to the park, to the sea, out into the world you may not have otherwise visited, with the country sitting in a state of closure and no other excuse to get out and about.
Our relationships with our pets have never been stronger. We are spending so much time with our dogs, puppies and our cats and kittens during this time of working, studying, learning and *insert just about everything else* from home.
They help us with loneliness, with a stressful day, with the feelings we may have of missing things from pre-lockdown times.
They get us moving and out the door on a day where netflix in our pajamas and bottomless coffees would be the only thing on the agenda, but equally don’t judge us for spending the rest of the day doing just that.
Now let’s look at what research says about our pet’s role in helping us cope with traumatic change.
For the older generation they aid in stretching and exercise, with the general movement involved in bending to pour food into their bowl, moving around letting them in and out of the garden for loo breaks and exercise of walks for dog owners.
Pets also give those who may be retired and particularly lonely during this time a purpose!
Having to get up and let their cat or dog out to go to the loo, to feed them and make sure their water bowl is full, to take their dog for a walk, and to give them love and attention as well as receiving it from their pet and enjoying the companionship of the special relationship.
For the hustling and bustling generations, studying or working from home, finding the groundhog day effect tough..
“In April and June 2020, Elena Ratschen, a senior lecturer at England’s University of York, asked 5,926 people in the U.K. about their mental health, well-being, and loneliness, as well as their bonds and interactions with their pets.
The survey, published in the journal PLOS ONE in September 2020, included any companion animals, such as fish, birds, dogs, cats, and small mammals. Most respondents—including 91 percent of dog owners, 89 percent of cat owners, and 95 percent of horse and farm animal owners—said that their pets “constituted an important source of emotional support,” Ratschen says.
People who self-reported being more vulnerable to mental health problems pre-lockdown responded that they were experiencing stronger bonds with their animal during the pandemic.
In addition, pet owners overall reported feeling less lonely and isolated than those who did not own pets. This may be due to a “buffering effect”: Pets can’t replace our social interactions with other humans, but they can help fill that gap, she says.”
*https://globalnews.ca/news/6983484/pandemic-pets-coronavirus/
In conclusion, our pets have been holding our hands through this past year and we are so lucky to have such special animals in our lives and the opportunity to develop such close bonds with them.
If you’re reading to this end point, thank you and I invite you to celebrate your pet by giving them a big cuddle, a treat and a fun adventure out to the park to play ball or to the sea to swim in this glorious spring weather!
Paws together for our furry friends!
Thanks for reading!
Emma 🐶🐾
Pawfit