The secret lives of the dog borrowers
Contented canines are enjoying second homes after being lent out during lockdown, writes Anna Tyzack
If it hadn’t been for Maddie, a lively and loving chihuahua/Jack Russell cross, the past weeks of isolation would have been unbearably lonely for Lucie Anning and her husband, Jamie. Not only did they lose their beloved dog, Alfie, last summer, leaving a doggy-shaped void in their lives, but within days of Britain being locked down, they both contracted Covid-19, from which they have spent the past six weeks recovering.
Maddie is not their dog, but her owners, Jeannette and Michael Blackaller, from Devon, were happy for her to spend lockdown at their home; they are both isolating owing to serious health conditions, leaving daily dog walks too much of a risk. “We don’t have any family living close; if it wasn’t for Lucie we’d have been stuck,” explains Jeannette, who met Anning on the dog borrowing website BorrowMyDoggy (borrowmydoggy.com). “She’s become so much more than a dog walker; she’s a trusted friend who has been checking in with us since lockdown started.”
Over the past couple of months, Rikke Rosenlund, who founded BorrowMyDoggy, where dog owners can find local dog lovers to walk and care for their pets, has been inundated with stories of lockdown dog swaps, while many neighbours and families have forged dog borrowing arrangements. Dog ownership has become more complicated; sickness, self-isolation, remote schooling and shift work are getting in the way of daily walks and feeding times.
When Britain went into lockdown, Deborah Battsek offered to take care of Alfie, her brother’s lurcher. “Jonathan has a chronic lung condition and was locking down with our 87-year-old mother – neither of them could go anywhere,” she says.
As Battsek has her own miniature dachshund, Dennis, it was no hardship to take a second dog on her daily walks. For dog lovers without dogs, however, the opportunity to borrow a dog has given them an incentive to get out of the house. Rosenlund has seen a huge increase in registered borrowers, now working from home and hoping to hang out with a friendly hound on daily walks, while taking the pressure off someone in the community. “Dogs are such bonding creatures; there have been endless examples of members helping NHS staff, key workers and vulnerable people with their dogs as well as bringing them groceries or dropping off medication,” she says. Ordinarily, dog lovers Lorna Watkin, 30, and her boyfriend, James Taylorson, 31, from south-west London, would be too busy to own a pup. Yet after a couple of weeks confined to their home, they concluded that a dog would brighten their walks, and signed up to Rosenlund’s site. They’re now exploring their local parks and commons with Lola, a springer spaniel with a passion for tennis balls and toys, who has been a “paw-fect” match. “My family has always had dogs; they give purpose to a walk,” says Waktin. “Without one, I feel as if I’m aimlessly drifting along.”
Lola’s owner is happy for them to take the dog out whenever they like. For her, BorrowMyDoggy has been an invaluable resource as she suffers from depression and there have been times when she hasn’t felt up to walking Lola at all. In lockdown, an hour or two’s break gives her a chance to get some head space, clean the house and check her emails without being constantly presented with squeaky toys and balls. “It’s wonderful to have people reaching out to me,” she says.
Dog ownership has increased dramatically during lockdown; pet insurers report a 78 per cent increase in people registering new animals. It is to be hoped that all the new owners can cope with their new responsibilities. Borrowing is a way of dipping a toe in the water, and Alicia Stoddart, a registered vet, says dogs are bound to benefit: the more exercise dogs can get the better, she reckons, as canine obesity is a huge problem. “Dogs get bored being left on their own at home and many suffer from separation anxiety,” she explains. “It’s good for them to socialise with new people – they usually quickly build a bond with their borrower. The more regular the arrangement, the better, as dogs thrive on routine.”
Once a degree of normality returns to our lives, Stoddart hopes the craze for borrowing will continue; there are numerous health benefits for both the dog and the owner, she says. Battsek maintains that dog walks give her a chance to clear her head. “When you’re out on the common you forget about all the awfulness going on,” she says. There is also the human social factor. “With borrowing, you end up bonding with another person over the love of a dog; it’s a whole world of good,” adds Rosenlund.
There are cost benefits, too: at just over £1 per month, borrowers’ membership of BorrowMyDoggy is far cheaper than owning a dog, while for owners it costs £44.99 a year. “Everyone is covered by insurance and no money changes hands, which makes it much more friendly,” says Rosenlund.
For the Annings, borrowing Maddie during lockdown has made life far more cheerful – the question is, will they ever want to give her back? Lucie admits they have become very attached to her – so much so that they would like to keep her if the Blackallers are no longer able to care for her. Jeannette says she is open to this – so long as they get to borrow Maddie when the Annings go on holiday.
For the time being, though, Lucie and Jamie are happy to take one day at a time, recovering their strength from the illness while watching Maddie tear around the fields. As Jeanette maintains: “If it wasn’t for people like Lucie, it wouldn’t just be me going stir crazy – the dogs would be, too.”