Pets bolster people’s mental health during the coronavirus pandemic
Taking care of Hammy is an important part of Nathan Reddy’s efforts to maintain his mental health. Since getting the pet hamster in January, Reddy has found it easier to cope with depression and anxiety.
“I just needed something to keep me going, to get me up every day,” said Reddy. “Immediately it was a sense of purpose, taking care of her. I just built up from there.”
For Reddy and many others, pets were already an important part of their well-being before the pandemic. Now with the added stress of the need to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19, the importance of animals has increased in many people’s daily lives.
Pets can provide much-needed company and a reason to get more exercise, according to Helen
Brooks, a health services research senior lecturer at the University of Manchester in England. This is particularly helpful as people navigate the isolation of social distancing.
“Pets can bring such an important level of stability and emotional support,” said Ada McVean, a graduate student in chemistry at McGill University in Montreal. She has seen a rise in adoptions at the Animal Rescue Network, the Canadian city’s largest no-kill cat shelter, where she is a volunteer.
“Especially in March and April, there was an incredible surge in adoptions and in foster care,” said Lindsay Hamrick, shelter outreach and engagement director for the Humane Society of the United States.
These days, people who are away from home for school or work can stay in touch with far-away animals the same way they spend time with family and friends: on Zoom.
Sydney Relihan is in Ithaca, New York, while her dogs Phoebe and Penny are back home with her family in Naperville, Illinois.
“It’s definitely been hard. I’ve missed them. It helps that my sister has been at home the whole time
I’ve been here,” said Relihan, a Cornell University junior majoring in performing and media arts. “When I am on Zoom calls with her, she always tries to get the dogs to participate.”
At a time when telemedicine has enabled doctors to communicate with their patients at home, mental health services are also available online. But there are challenges for some practitioners.
Kathryn Kimbley, an animal-assisted therapy practitioner in the United Kingdom, said she has adapted her strategies in an effort to provide all the benefits of therapy with her companion dog Flossie.
“Some of my clients ... have got their own pets,” said Kimbley. “We do engage with their animals if they have any, or with mine.”
Reddy said spending time with Hammy helps him block out worries of the world.
“I just play with her every day,” he said, “and that allows me to escape.”