August 2, 2020

Researchers are now saying that one dog year is not equal to seven human years — the revised formula says there are many more human years in a dog’s life. And that’s exactly how I feel about this year of pandemic. It's aging me exponentially. Every day was starting to feel like seven but now it feels like even more.

It’s not that the days are longer; it’s that they're often the same. Between the stress of what’s happening in the world, worry for my family near and far, and the cancellation of in-person celebrations and trips, the days we spend are more like the days my dogs spend: sleep, eat, move, work and sleep again.

It occurred to me, since we are all living a dog’s life, we really should be embracing more than the exponential aging part. We need to embrace all the great stuff about being a dog.

Like the napping part. My dogs get up in the morning, go for a walk, eat a little something and then go back to sleep. They are power nappers.  Probably about eight hours a day.  I wish I could sleep eight hours a night, let alone during the day.

How about the pure love part?  They love me even though I’m not the dog person in the house.  My husband gives them lots of baby talk and cuddles, so you’d expect them to give it right back to him. But they love me no matter how much I ignore them, following me wherever I go and sleeping at my feet.  They require so little and yet they give so much.

They never complain.  Ok, they might whine a little. But every time they do, they are easily satisfied.  When I meet their needs with food, a walk, or just a pat on the belly, the whining stops. Just like that.

It's not like that with people. People will always find something more to complain about, even if you do everything you can to make them happy. 

They do not argue over politics of any kind. Our dogs are dog-partisan. They could care less about all the things we humans are arguing about. No campaign promises necessary, they’ll give you a vote of confidence for a mere pat on the head.

And during this pandemic, they’ve been just the best quarantine buddies you could ever have. Taking them for walks gives me exercise.  Trying to train them gives me purpose.  Watching my kids and husband love them brings me joy.

Apparently I’m not alone in reveling in our dog’s life.  This pandemic has brought with it a “pandemic puppy” boom. Just about every Zoom meeting I’m on includes ogling over the newest puppy to arrive. Since everyone has been grounded, they finally have the time to spend on growing those puppies into dogs – a worthy pandemic project.

Our newest addition, Allie, was a rescue dog who came to us in December. She was incredibly nervous about everything, which can be expected after her first three chaotic years. She’d shake every time we’d put a leash on, take her for a car ride or really do most anything.

But she has blossomed during the pandemic with the companionship of her “brother,” Moe, our other dog, and lots of time and love from all of us. Watching her trajectory from a nervous rescue to the calm, happy dog she has become has helped me through these stressful times.

These times might make us all shake, but perhaps by learning from our dogs we’ll get through them and come out with more appreciation for what’s really important: our pack.

First Published in the Democrat and Chronicle and USA Today Network.