PET HEALTH
Changing routines can be stressful for some animals
Tips for preparing pets for back-to-work transition.
Luna the pit bull was lonely. So dog dad Francisco Montez set out to find a brother or sister for her so she could have companionship while he was away at work. He searched for the right dog for six months.
Then one day in May, that right dog stared at him through the computer screen. His name was Bruno, and he had been rescued from an abandoned apartment by the Houston SPCA. Montez didn’t hesitate.
“They said it may take three weeks for him to get adjusted to my dog (Luna), but the funny thing is, it only took two hours,” Montez said. “They just clicked. They sniffed each other, wondered who the other one was and then they just had a blast in the backyard.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Montez’s girlfriend has worked from home and his son has dropped by the house to take care of the dogs. The animals have been alone no longer than four hours at a time in the past three months, he said.
But eventually, his girlfriend will return to the office and his son will start working full time again. So it’s time for Montez to begin prepping Luna and Bruno for this change.
“We have a doggie door that (Bruno) doesn’t know how to use, so I take him out every hour,” Montez said. “He’s learning by Luna and follows wherever she goes, but I’ve been here most of the time.”
Bruno is one of 1,160 adoptions from the Houston SPCA since March. At the Houston Humane Society, there have been 884 adoptions, including 530 dogs, 258 cats, 20 rodents, 15 rabbits and eight fish.
The months in lockdown have wreaked havoc on the economy, employment and our collective psyches. But after a short adjustment, there’s been one group of satisfied customers: the American pet population.
Some pets felt anxiety when their owners were home all the time at the start of the lockdown, said Brian Larsen, founder of Restorapet Animal Healthcare, a company specializing in veterinarian-approved pet medications.
But now, they’ve settled into a “new normal” of 24/7 cohabiting with their human — and many prefer the added walks, lounge time, fetch and cuddles.
But what about when pet parents have to return to the workplace? Pets settle into routines easily, but breaking them out of them takes time, Larsen said.
Do not change the routine suddenly, he warned.
“Take advantage of this period to ease into that transition by leaving for brief periods of time; have those become progressively longer and longer,” Larsen said. “In addition to that, have some kind of signal or cue that you are leaving to allow your pets to know that this is something that is about to happen.”
The signal could be a jingle of your keys, a cuddle session or a treat. By doing this, you’re telling your pet that you’re leaving, but not forever.
Alejandra Piembert, a marketing assistant manager at Houston Humane Society, plays hide-andseek with her dog before she leaves for the day. H-E-B Honey Ham lunch meat is her dog’s passion, she said. So when she knows she will be away for a long time, she rips the ham into pieces and hides it around the house.
“I tell him to ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ before I give him the order to search for it. It keeps him entertained, and I exit,” Piembert said. “There has to be something they acknowledge as positive reinforcement when you leave, so they don’t get anxious.”
Don’t let the pet’s size or breed fool you — they will act out if they feel abandoned, she said. Though she has a smaller breed, her dog still chews valuables if Piembert is gone for a while.
Piembert also recommends an at-home camera to check on your pet, or even talk to them, while you’re away during the day.
“You’ll see a lot of dogs will scratch at the door, barking or whining, but they should calm down after 5-10 minutes,” she said. “If it persists, you may need extra help or consult a trainer.”
Being home all the time means another advantage for dogs and some cats: more W-A-L-K-S.
Exercise is important for their health, but a decrease in daily walks is important when readjusting your pet.
Piembert and Larsen both recommend getting a dog walker during the adjustment period.
“Having someone help walk the dog once a day to go potty while be a huge help,” Larsen said. “Companionship is key, especially for dogs, so a walker is another way to boost their amount of interaction during the day.”