COVID-19 and our pets: Quarantine Heaven?
Well, this is all very unusual isn’t it? Unusual, and yet also so instantly the norm. It is strange
how that happens.
If your household is anything like our household, this time of quarantine is causing stress,
surprise, joy, horror, laughter and tears in almost equal measure. Whilst we balance the
seemingly impossible task of juggling homeschooling with WFH; physical confinement and
staying fit; staying sane and staying in, it is a relief to know that whilst we are on our own,
we are not alone. Everyone is under similar pressures and is having to dig deep to cope with
what this unexpected period of family isolation throws at us.
In amongst the struggle of days which all seem commence with Joe Wicks’s dulcet tones
trying to get us to do more burpees straight after breakfast (it is fine just to sit and watch
with a croissant, right?) and end in family binge-watching of Malory Towers – oh the
escapism – there is one member of the family who seems to have taken the whole thing in
his stride. In fact, more than that: is totally thriving. That’s right: the dog. This quarantine
period is – for our dog at least – complete heaven. Let’s look at this from a dogs’ eye view.
He has all his favourite humans home ALL DAY, each fighting for the opportunity to take him
out for a walk. All three meals are taken at the table by all humans – including the small
ones who usually eat at school in the daytime – therefore opportunities to hoover up
morsels from the floor have increased exponentially. The increased stress levels also mean
that there is almost certainly one human at any given time who needs a cuddle, and who is
therefore applying strokes and tickles to bring down their blood pressure. Constant love,
increased walk frequency, full-time company, quadrupled attention, more food tidbits…this
period shall be known in dog world not as The Corona Crisis, but the The Corona Nirvana.
In our household, one of the most trying elements of this and alternate reality involves the
attempt to create nutritious meals from a seriously compromised fridge/store cupboard
(pasta with days’ old broccoli, half a meatball plus sweetcorn and chopped olives anyone?)
We have had to become Ready Steady Cook professionals overnight encompassing the
creative passion of Heston Blumenthal coupled with the family appeal of Jamie Oliver. But
guess who doesn’t have to worry about strange food combinations cooked under pressure?
That’s right! The pup. Nature’s Harvest deliver all your dog’s favourite dinners straight to
your door to make it super easy for you. Visit our shop (www.naturesharvestpet.com/shop),
pop what you need in the basket, checkout and relax. If you want to free up even more time
– no interruptions to your online quiz time – simply put your pup’s food on subscription and
you’ll never run out of dog food ever again. At least the dog’s diet will be well taken care of
– even if we end up in fist-fights over eggs in the supermarket (let’s hope it doesn’t get to
that). Because we are all about making your life more straightforward where we can, here’s
a nifty code to use to get 50% off your first month…DOORSTEPDIRECT…You’re welcome!
Our suggestion to you over the next few weeks is to try to soak up some of your pet’s joy.
We can only get through this one day at a time, and when rows over whose turn it is in the
board game, when you are tired of shouting at kids to get off their screens for reading time,
when constant emails from your boss flood in detailing ludicrously impossible deadlines, in
short, when it all gets a bit much – look to the family dog, and their happiness, to take the
edge of the anxiety and frustration. They really are having a whale of a time, so do let their
joy inspire you to find a few positives in the tough and challenging moments.