“Animals have come to mean so much in our lives. We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture. Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate. What’s one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on? A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully.” – Jon Katz.
Pets are the most happy, optimistic, loving creatures on the face of the Earth. We couldn’t be happier without them. All that they have for us humans is unconditional love with absolutely no expectations in return.
It was said very correctly that an animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. Have you ever been able to resist those puppy dog eyes and not give in to when asking for an extra treat? A look at their adorable little faces and glittering round eyes are enough to bring you out of the worst mood. They never leave you alone, make the best companion and your favourite partner for a selfie! They find happiness in little things and will teach you to do the same.
PAWSITIVE IMPACT ON HEALTH
We are usually unaware about the health benefits that come along with the pleasure of snuggling up to a furry friend. Pets are very well aware of your moods and emotions. When you come home sad or tired, your dog would wag his tail, greet you excitedly, yet instantly grasp your emotions, and try to cheer you up by fooling around. People with a dog or cat have lower resting heart rates which means they are calmer, less anxious and stressful. Dogs ease loneliness and encourage exercise and playfulness. Even watching a fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and lower pulse rate.
When a child has no brothers or sisters they find companionship in their pets. It could be a cat or a dog, or a rabbit, any bird like a parrot or even a hamster. This helps children develop greater empathy, higher self-esteem, and increased participation in social and physical activities.
One main reason for these therapeutic effects is that pets fulfill the basic human need for touch and mutual affection. Stroking, hugging, or even holding a loving animal can instantly calm and make you feel at ease.
PUPTECT YOU
Children have a special relationship with dogs especially when the dog has seen the kid grow up. Dogs develop this guarding instinct which mothers have towards their kids. Very simple example of such possessiveness is when there is a stranger at the door of the house or when an unknown face approaches the kid or picks up the kid in the play around, the dog barks or grabs the leg of the stranger. Dogs are wary of sudden and jerky movements, all amounting to alarm.
Simran, owner of two furry labradors Jerry and Joey, told us how her dogs would often growl at her friends when they’d randomly meet her during the walk. They take some time to warm up to new faces. Akshay, owner of a pomeranian Lui, shared an incident with us when a friend had randomly showed up at his house. When the two of them were hugging, his dog got confused and bit his friend and just wouldn’t stop barking. They had to be in separate rooms until his friend left.
Cats are known to protect humans from evil spirits. In addition to their instincts, they are endowed with four hands with multiple knives at the end, that can cut you up pretty badly, which is why some people say they’d rather be attacked by a dog than a cat! Rabbits and other similar rodents like guinea pigs and hamsters are also known to tap their feet very loudly when they sense danger or something strange.
PETS IN LOCKDOWN
Cooped up with their parents at home, the furry babies are too adapting to a life of social distancing. Pets are embracing the lockdown with their paws wide open because of all the time their parents are spending at home as compared to the earlier scenario when they met them for limited hours. Even though the walks may have reduced and there is only a limited amount of treats due to the lockdown, the playtime has definitely increased.
Shirley, an entrepreneur based in Gurgaon told us how she was noticing her dog, Diana, getting all sad by the evening, which was earlier her walk time. She would longingly look at the door of the house or just stand in the balcony looking around. But Shirley couldn’t do anything about it because her society was on complete lockdown and no one was allowed to even step out of the house. So she would distract her dog by running around the house, along with her partner and Diana would eventually start enjoying her playtime inside the house itself.
Delhi based music producer, Harsh told us how he would always stock up on food for his husky, Logan. But eventually the stock of his favourite treats were over and no home deliveries were available and he couldn’t go to the store himself. So he had to feed Logan some simple homemade concoctions made of cookies and milk.
Many pet parents shared their simple game exercises around the house to keep their pets on their toes. They would simply play fetch or hide and seek or maybe treasure hunt where they would hide their pet’s favorite treat in some corner of the house.
They also shared their concern about how difficult it is to clean up after their pets at home and have been trying to potty train them in human toilets. But they understand because this phase is as difficult for our furry friends as it is for us. Some animals can adapt while some cannot which can cause them to get sick or depressed.
As the lockdown is being slowly lifted in phases, people have started going out shopping for groceries, for walk while maintaining social distancing. Pet parents are being very cautious about their little ones and making them wear cute little masks and protective gear. Although there are no proven cases of animals being infected by Corona, it is heartening to see the heights to which human parents go to protect their little precious beings.
These times are very testing and stressful but we have to ensure that we don’t project our emotions on our pets. We cannot neglect them! Regularly feeding, brushing, cleaning, and loving and protecting them, is more important in the lockdown than ever before.
Please be forewarned: Maintain the required schedule and discipline as it was before the lockdown, and make sure our pets don’t get too used to all this ‘together’ time. Maintain social distancing for a few hours…shift to another room!!