Have you and your fur-kids been bonding and getting super close over the COVID-19 Stay at Home orders? Maybe they've become your best coworkers too? I know Emee the Chi is more like my boss in this house, LOL!
FYI- We updated The Paws Spot with a video below!
Well, it looks like we are getting back to our regularly scheduled program in some places, and people are starting to go back to their places of work away from home. Those new furry co-workers are going to start missing you when they can't go with so it's time to start social distancing from your pets now!
We’ve been posting on our social media sites on how to get your pets prepped for this moment since the quarantine began, but this is time to really get to it if you haven’t yet. Get those pets prepared now for their best interest. Start spending some time away from them each day at the same time of the day for the same amount of time. You really want to focus on getting them back to a routine of you being gone.
It's ok if it's not going to be the same as leaving them for an entire workday, but it will get them used to a routine of spending time away from you and help make your future transition of going back to work easier.
How do you do this, you ask?
No need to write your pets up, but you can start setting some new ground rules around your home. However, Sheila Stych found some humor in doing so during the quarantine! Poor Penelope!
Cut the co-working ties.
Well, it is going to be tough because those sweet little furry faces and puppy dog eyes and sweet little love bugs are going to be right there in your face wanting to know why you don’t want to work with them anymore. This is where YOU have to be strong; this is for their own good, after all!
Do you have a home office or area in the house where you can separate yourself from your pets while you work? This might be hard for more reasons than one because you’ve been a free-range employee yourself! Start with working from your home office or another area of the house for an hour, then work your way up.
Have some independent activities for your pet to do that will keep him or her out of trouble, like a Kong toy with treats or even freezing some treats in some ice cubes since it’s getting warmer out.
Leave at home while on short trips away from the house.
Need to run to the store really quick (yeah, right, not with those social distancing lines outside), or take a break from being stuck inside all day and take a walk? Well, do this at least once or twice a day without your pet.
Ensure you leave home a safe space so there isn’t anything your pet can get into that is dangerous, like snacking food you’ve had out or laptop cords. Be sure to leave out treats or toys that will be great for independent play like you would if you are working, as mentioned above. When you leave, make a nice quiet exit, nothing grand to make a huge commotion. I know, I know this is hard. Especially after spending all this time hip to hip with your pet, but if you get all emotional and say, “Awe, I love you so much, mommy is going to miss you, but I promise to be back so soon, I’m so sorry to leave you…” well, then you will freak out your pet and who knows what you could find when you get back.
Contact your local trainer.
This is ALWAYS a great idea because you never know when you might need some advice from your local trainer for behavioral issues. I mean, think about it, pets are like kids. They get used to routines and get used to something like having us home, and when it gets taken away or thrown off, it is frustrating to them, and they can act out.
Just remember that if your pet acts out when you go back to work, they are just unfortunate that their duties as your co-workers have been terminated, and all they really want is to be loved and be with you. Remember to have a lot of patience & love.
The best thing you can do is be proactive and get ahead of this and prepare now while you have the time to make this transition as easy as possible for your pets and yourself. Once you go back to work, it will be much more difficult to work out when there is less time.
We want all of those quarantine adopted pets to stay adopted!
Here is a Facebook Live video for the Linda Vista Multicultural Festival we did that we uploaded to YouTube discussing fostering pets and helping prep them for you going back to work.
To hear about what it takes to Foster Pets, skip to 1:55
To hear about prepping your pet for going back to work, skip to 6:19