Pets dispel loneliness and anxiety, bring joy and maintain the well-being of those around them, many studies show, and not under normal circumstances, but in the isolation required during this period to limit the spread of coronavirus, they prove to be more than that.
After craving for a pet, Barney, the cavalier King Charles spaniel, could not have arrived at a better moment, says Marie Brown. “We picked him up the day before lockdown. The timing is a godsend.”
The puppy has helped her children, aged 12 and 15, adjust to life at home in Sevenoaks, Kent, without school, sport or much of a social life.
"I brought Barney home the day before the isolation was imposed. It was a perfect timing, "a woman confessed to The Guardian.
Barney is a king charles spaniel knight, and after a few years when the woman's two 12- and 15-year-olds insisted on a puppy, he entered their lives. Barney now helps them adapt to life in self-isolation, without school, without too many outdoor activities and without social life.
"Certainly Barney makes us less stressed and raises our morale," says the woman. He borrowed his neighbors' dog Somewhere in north London, Honey, a two-year-old cockapoo, smiles on the lips of a doctor struggling to withstand the crisis of coronavirus. "When my husband enters the house, she is there, waiting for him at the door. The next moment, he is on the floor and playing with Honey.
You can see how stress and fatigue and anxiety disappear, ”says a woman living in Highgate, London.
He borrowed his neighbors' dog
Somewhere in north London, Honey, a two-year-old cockapoo, smiles on the lips of a doctor struggling to resist the coronavirus crisis.
"When my husband comes into the house, she is there, waiting for him at the door. The next moment, he is on the floor and playing with Honey. You see how stress and fatigue and anxiety go away, ”says a woman living in Highgate, London.
Someone else borrowed his dog, a griffin brussels named Loki, to the neighbors, "for their own good and his."
"We remember that life goes on"
"He is very sociable and cannot understand how he went from being treated like a star to seeing me and my husband daily," says Loki's mistress. "We are reminded that life goes on" Belle and Little Tyke, two London cats, are a comfort to a mother and her 11-year-old son living in Birmingham.
"We realized that when it all goes wrong, it is very nice to have them near us - we are reminded that life goes on," says the owner of the two cats.
The kid confesses that every time he feels worried or sad, he takes Little Tyke in his arms and immediately feels better.
The 18-reptile boy
Not only dogs and cats can be perfect pets. An 18-year-old from Wales says his reptiles have helped him overcome anxiety and depression.
It has 18 animals, including turtles, snakes and lizards. His favorite is Lily, a nine-month-old Argentine lizard.
"I have a special connection with her. I put my hand on the floor and run at me like a puppy, ”says the young man, for the British newspaper.
Animal adoptions in the UK have increased
Animal shelters have seen an increase in the number of adoptions in recent weeks, although most of them have been closed to the public.
"A dog is for life, not just for isolation", draws attention to Dogs Trust, the NGO that launched the famous slogan "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas" / "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas ”.
