In light of the current global pandemic, home confinement (for most people) may sound like a prison. Introverts, however, may argue it’s a luxury. The former is the group who’ve been most anxious in the last few months- bridled by their solitary existence; the latter, exactly the opposite- content and criminally happy with their own domestication.
But none is happier than the beloved pets of both groups. Dogs and cats alike often wait patiently for their owners to come home from work back when normal meant an 8-to-5 job at a plush office. So it must have been a weird but welcome surprise for them to see their fur mommies and daddies safely tucked inside the house with them all day. However, with the coronavirus or COVID-19, safety is very relative for both humans and animals.
It was shocking when news broke back in March that a pomeranian in Hong Kong was reported as the first case of an animal having contracted the virus. While it tested negative in a follow up test, soon the dog died a few days after being released from the quarantine facility.
Recently, National Geographic reported that a german shepherd in New York officially became the first dog in the US to test positive for the virus. Two months ago, LA Times published an article that a pug named Winston from North Carolina supposedly tested positive along with his owner’s children and husband. This was later cleared by subsequent tests done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It is still unclear whether or not animal-to-human transmission of the said virus is possible. What is clear however is that these familial companions are too precious to lose especially in this time when everybody needs a ‘buddy’.
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