The coronavirus pandemic has forced humans to stay at home in an effort to avoid the further spread of the virus. Pet owners may be spending a lot of their time with their companion animals, with some animals truly happy with the extra time they have with their hoomans.
However, what will happen when humans finally come back to work and leave their companion animals at home?
Dr. Kate Mornement, applied animal behaviorist, told SBS News that people must prepare their pets for less contact before heading back to the office once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
“They tend to associate us with everything good in their life,” Mornement said.
“You know, we feed our pets, we spend time with them, we pat them, we take them for walks, we play witht them, so when we’re home their life tends to be a lot better than we’re not,” she said.
Mornement added that what may happen once humans go back to work is that pets may experience anxiety and separation issues.
Now, how can you prepare your pets for another change?
Dr. Mornmenet said some of the startegies may include reduced attention and fewer walks to avoid any sudden cutback.
“We really need to consider our pets’ wellbeing, and if we don’t go about gradually getting them used to us not being there fulltime, it’s going to be harder to resolve once we’re at work fulltime,” she said.
