Dog in The Time of Coronavirus

It’s official. 

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and even wild child Tik Tok agree: our dogs just love us at home.

We’ve all seen the posts: labs leaping with uncontained joy at hitting the “wanna go for a walk” quarantine jackpot; greyhounds staring with soulful gratitude at their families cloistered on the sofa for yet another round of Netflix and actual chill; chow hounds loyally trailing their loved ones on the well-worn path to the kitchen. 

We get it. Our dogs are beyond thrilled with our now-faithful presence at home. It’s good to be loved.

And, it may well be more rewarding to love in return.

This post is a love letter to my own two dogs, who, along with my husband, have made this sudden solitude bearable…and maybe, even transformative. 

They keep me centered, heading straight to my yoga space after their breakfast, sitting expectantly on either side of my mat. I couldn’t skip my 15-minute early morning sessions even if I wanted to…my pups are self-appointed accountability coaches. They love the music, the movement, and the mandatory head-skritching they demand during my semi-savasana. Because of them, I’ve not missed a day of yoga and meditation and the peace these bring since this whole thing began. 

For these things I am grateful.

They keep me aligned to my promises. As a high school English teacher who could easily sit at her keyboard from dawn to the dead of night and still worry I’m no longer really reaching my students, my pups remind me I won’t even reach the next morning if I don’t get off my chair and just move. So, the dogs and I have scheduled an hourly date: it’s a six-minute trek up the driveway, around the house, and back inside. Sometimes we walk, sometimes we run. Sometimes, we splash in the puddles. Because of Phoebe and Scout, I bask in the outdoors. I commune with nature. I close my stupid Apple rings before sunset. 

For these things I am grateful. 

Yes, I know they are thrilled we are home, and their lives are better because of it. 

But our lives are richer because of our dogs, in this time of coronavirus. And for that, I am grateful.