Coronavirus and pets: What’s changed?

By Marina Gaiti

Animals and people have had a long-standing relationship dating back thousands of years, one that now arguably thrives as well as it ever has. In nearly every part of the world, humans are infatuated with man’s best friend – but why?

As a result of the COVID-19’s outbreak the past year, we have realised more than ever before the importance of pets in our lives. During lockdown many animals’ lives changed drastically, as many people volunteered, contributed or donated to pet charities, or adopted a high number of pets. Many more pet owners, however, had to give their furry friends away because they were unable to care for them as a result of coronavirus. 

Last year, many dogs were rehomed after being given away or abandoned. One of them was a nine-year-old (estimated) Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Poodle female dog called Pretty.

Natalia Soutzoukidou, a Barnet resident who rescued Pretty, said: “She was in such a horrible state when I found her. She was injured so badly that she needed urgent treatment.”

The 23-year-old NHS worker was on her way to see her friends when she spotted Pretty wandering around in a field near Potters Bar in Hertfordshire. She appeared to be hurt and had no dog tag on her.

Soutzoukidou said: “I parked on the side and tried to approach her. She was very friendly and she let me get close to her easily. Once I saw that she had no collar on her, I decided to take her home and take care of her until I found her owner.

“The next day I took her to the vet, which cost me £823 for urgent treatment and medication prescription. The veterinarian said that her injuries were ‘most likely’ caused by humans,” she added. 

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Pretty’s owners were never found, despite police’s attempts to search for them.

After a long and painful journey in and out of the doggy hospital, Pretty is finally healthy, happy and a member of a loving family. “She had suffered enough, I could not even bare to give her away. She is a part of the family now,” said Soutzoukidou.

The reason that Pretty was abandoned is unknown. However, it is for sure that Soutzoukidou did not want to abandon her at an animal shelter.

How did Covid affect the animal rescue organisations financially?

Animal rescue organisations, too, have been extremely affected by the pandemic. Each year, the sector provides over 300,000 homes for dogs and cats and over three million veterinary treatments at no or reduced cost.

The new Covid-19 research study from Battersea aims to look into the effects of the epidemic on our pets and the organisations who care for them around the country.

The preliminary results of the study are clear: Covid-19 poses a major threat to the resilience of cat and dog rescue agencies in the UK and Ireland, while 95 per cent of the respondents claiming that they were affected by the pandemic.

In addition, 56 per cent of the respondents said that more than half of their income decreased during the lockdown, and 22 per cent said they did not know how long their funds could last and therefore there was a great possibility that they would not be able to look after their pets.

Finally, with unemployment rates rising and many households suffering significant financial difficulties, there are worries that many of the people who adopted animals this year would soon find themselves unable to care for them.

Welfare concerns during the pandemic

Aside from the financial concerns, there are also significant issues for animal welfare. During the lockdown periods this year, there has been a spike in demand for animals. There are serious worries regarding the safety of dogs and cats being smuggled into the UK by unethical dealers as buyers increasingly resort to internet providers from overseas, and domestically the number of stolen animals has sky-rocketed.

Domestic violence cases have also increased, according to Metropolitan Police, and with research establishing a strong connection between violence against people and violence against animals, experts predict an increase in animal cruelty cases as well.

Animals’ welfare is also affected. Due to the public’s natural fear about contracting Covid-19, pet owners appear to be becoming increasingly hesitant to seek non-emergency veterinary treatment for their animals.

This not only increases the risk of disease outbreaks in animals, but it also negatively impacts pet microchipping, registration and the decrease in neutering this year may result in an increase in unwanted puppies that are given up or abandoned.

Separation anxiety: before and after lockdown

While most of us were stuck at home during lockdown, our pets were in animal heaven, relishing the chance to spend so much time with their owners. But how will they cope once life gets back to normal?

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Evangelos Gaitis, the owner of Max, a five-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, said that his pet loved being at home with his family all day. Now that he returned to work, he has noticed a change in Max’s behaviour.

“I used to leave him alone at home while I was working and I never had a problem. When I returned home from my first day back from work, I could not believe what Max had done to the house while I was gone,” said Gaitis.

Many pets might not be emotionally affected by separation anxiety, but owners who have noticed that their pets do need to seek advice from an expert.

“I was advised that Max needs to slowly be retrained to stay alone at home again and he was given medication for his anxiety. Who would have thought that lockdown would have such a negative impact on him?” said the 21-year-old from Barnet.

Who to contact to report animal abuse, adopt or volunteer

1. RSPCA
2. The Animal Rescue Charity
3. Mayhew
4. Battersea

If you have information about an animal that is in danger, contact the police immediately or any of the charities above. 

5 fun facts that you probably did not know about dogs

• Dogs have the capacity of a two-year old human
• The original scientific name for a dog is ‘Canis Lupus Familiaris’
• The only place they sweat from is their paws
• Their sense of smell is 40 times stronger than a human’s sense of smell
• Hugging your dog can cause an increase in its anxiety and stress levels – although most dogs understand that this is a way to show them affection,  some of them are still anxious about it as they feel like you are limiting their freedom and invading their personal space

Did you know?

There are fourf dog breeds that have been banned from the UK, because they are considered to be dangerous and aggressive. These breeds are:

• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Pit Bull Terrier 
• Japanese Tosa