The world has been on a wild ride in the last year. One of the biggest adjustments we’ve had to make is how we socialize and interact with people. While we were all faced with missing dinner with friends, concerts and vacations, we certainly found a solve – virtual meetups. “Zoom” has become part of our daily vocabulary, and maybe what we didn’t expect was how all of this would affect our pets. Through study findings, we’ve learned a little bit more.
According to a new study conducted in March 2021 by OnePoll on behalf of ACANA® pet food of 2,000 U.S. dog owners, 85% of Pet Lovers polled are concerned their pets haven’t been getting enough socialization with other pups during quarantine. It’s tough, right? You want to be safe, but dogs do need socialization. It helps them ease anxiety and become less fearful of new situations or meeting new people. Just like humans, the exercise and playtime helps pets stay healthy and happy. Plus, it allows your dog to become more confident. You’ll see these benefits play out when your dog goes to the groomer, meets new people, travels or heads to the vet. The most important thing to remember is you must consistently socialize your dog, as it’s a lifelong necessity, and this has remained true, even during the pandemic.
Even though Pet Lovers have been concerned, the good news is dogs seem to be doing a-okay in their new pandemic lifestyle. In fact, 66% of owners* admit their dog has a better social life than they do, and over half say their dog has more friends. For many, additional flexibility in schedules has allowed Pet Lovers to take midday walks with their dogs and head to the dog park more frequently. Nearly 6 in 10** pooch parents said their dogs have still gotten to see their furry “friends” more often than they have since the start of the pandemic!
Not only did humans take advantage of Zoom-life, our dogs did too. The same study found 63% of Pet Lovers think their pet is the uncontested star on any Zoom call on which they make an appearance. Let’s face it – we love it when pups pop into the picture. And 53% of Pet Loversƚ admitted that they themselves have been guilty of sometimes being more excited to see a friends’ pet on a video call than the actual friend. While many of these human-dog meetups with friends have been virtual, it’s possible humans still reap some of the benefits of human-animal interactions even digitally. We know dogs have been known to decrease stress, anxiety and loneliness in humans – something many felt during the pandemic. Even a quick dog popping into Zoom may have helped some people.
While the past year has been tough for many, one thing we know is we’ve witnessed the true companionship between dogs and their owners, and for many we’ve seen the bond grow stronger. As we trend toward normalcy, we also start to think about how we can help our pets /adjust to post pandemic life. If you’re looking for more tips on how to ease the transition for your pet as we move out of the pandemic, check out this post!
*66% of survey participants in a March 2021 OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of ACANA pet foods said they somewhat agree or strongly agree with the statement “my dog has a better social life than I do.”
**4.84% of survey participants in a March 2021 OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of ACANA pet foods said they strongly disagree with the statement “my dog has gotten to see their furry friends more often than I have during the pandemic.”
Ƚ53.32%of survey participants in a March 2021 OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of ACANA pet foods said they somewhat agree or strongly agree with the statement “I’m sometimes more excited to see my friends’ pets on a video call than my actual friends.”