From what I’ve heard, over the past several months, it’s been exceedingly difficult for people to find new pets, particularly dogs. It seems that, during the pandemic, many of us have decided to hunker down, expanding, enriching, and improving our home or family lives. This could be because we have more time to do so, are at home a lot more often, and don’t have quite as much freedom to enrich our lives in other ways, such as through travel, work relationships, social get togethers, and so forth. I must admit that I am a homebody. I’ve always thought it was important to have a strong, enjoyable and fulfilling home life. I usually see that as priority #1 (after all, home is where I spend most of my time, pandemic or not), with travel and all that other stuff being secondary, like sprinkles on the cake. I don’t like saying it’s icing on the cake, because I think icing is essential to the cake (why on earth would you want to eat a cake without icing?). Having a pet, and a dog in particular, can be one way to firm up the foundation of our everyday lives.
I was really never a dog person until maybe 6 or 7 years ago. I always thought I was allergic to all dogs. I also think I must’ve had some scary dog encounters when I was younger, as I’d become rather wary of them, particularly when I was out for a walk or hike in the woods. I’d always give dogs a wide berth, particularly when I encountered hordes of them being led by dog walkers. When they approached me, I felt my heart rate accelerate and was annoyed that the owners wouldn’t make their dogs leave me alone. This all began to change when my parents started to get dogs. They had a lovely Pekingese for several years, who sadly passed away, and then they subsequently adopted another cute little rescue dog. Whenever I went to visit them, the little guy would immediately jump on the couch and put his head in my lap. Although I had cats before and knew they were quite affectionate, I had no idea the dogs could be this way as well. I gradually started to warm up to dogs.
I nevertheless continued to resist my family’s urgings to get a dog. I was still convinced that I was allergic, and with two young boys and a very busy work life, I couldn’t imagine taking on what I believed to be a lot more work. I didn’t really know what was involved in taking care of a dog, but I had heard that it can be a lot of work, a lot of walks, and a lot of picking up of poop. I couldn’t quite understand why the trade-off of having a dog would be so positive that humans would just tolerate picking up their poop – sometimes several times a day!
Eventually, my resistance started to wear down. My doctor told me that being allergic to one type of dog does not mean that you are allergic to all types of dogs. Dogs with hair rather than fur produce less dander tend to be less allergenic. Around this time, my ageing father was very sick, and I went to visit him in the hospital and also met the little miniature poodle that he and his wife owned. She was so incredibly cute, lively, and affectionate that the scales started to tip, and I warmed up to the idea of getting a dog for our family. Almost as soon as I said OK, we had adopted our rescue dog.
Although I know dogs are not for everyone, I have noticed the benefits of having our little guy around. We lucked out, in that he’s a very mellow dog, not demanding at all, and quite affectionate. He’s a wonderful companion on hikes and walks in the woods, and excitedly joins us for our family TV shows and falls asleep lying on my chest in the afternoon for post-lunch naps. The “work” involved in having him around is minimal, I quickly got used to picking up the poop (and now find it strangely satisfying), and I think he has contributed to a greater general sense of calm and peace around the house. I’ve found it’s also harder to be lonely with a dog around, and when our kids are driving us crazy, I find it reassuring to spend time with our third, favourite furry “son”!
Another major benefit of having a dog includes a greater sense of community in our neighbourhood. Now, I know almost all of the dogs’ names in the neighbourhood (but not necessarily the owners’ names!), enjoy seeing them out for their walks, and have gotten to know many of my neighbours in a way that I wouldn’t have if we didn’t have dog ownership in common. When I walk or hike in the woods, I enjoy seeing the huge variety of dogs out there. Understanding their behaviour a lot better, I’m no longer nervous when dogs approach me. We are by no means dog experts, but getting to know an entirely new species has been fascinating and enriching.
I’m not suggesting that dogs specifically, or pets more broadly, are for everyone. That said, having noticed the personal benefits to well-being, emotion regulation, and social connection, I can certainly see why so many of us are turning to little (or big) furry friends to get through this very strange time in our lives. ~Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.