Working from Home is a Change, but How do we Handle our Furry Family Members? With the number of COVID-19 cases and changes that are occurring, we are aware of the challenges that come along. Not to mention how we are dealing with shelter in place, social distancing, on-line learning for our kids, and last, but not least, our pets. Now that many of us are working from home, our pets are wondering why all of a sudden all the activity in the home has vanished.
While we love our pets, they can certainly be a distraction from getting work and learning done when everyone is home. Our pets can make us feel guilty if we are not giving them the attention they deserve, so they are going to make sure your eyes go to them instead of work tasks. As we all know, pets need our attention to be calmed and working from home with your pet means balancing attention to workload, while showing the love for our pet.
1. Find a Balance
Due to shelter in place, the majority of workspaces, most of us have resorted to working from home. Working from home with your pet around can be challenging because we know those “puppy eyes” are oh so tempting and let’s not forget the out of the blue barking while on that video conference call. As if our attention isn’t enough, pets also need their exercise and their nutrition/special needs met.
The ‘balancing’ of workload and attention to a pet doesn’t always get balanced out as any pet lover knows. When on a call with coworkers at home, a puppy is a constant concern for the person on the phone. The backyard sometimes seems like a good option, but for our pets, it can become a problem, even to the point of them becoming territorial and causing a bigger problem.
2. Adjust to the Home New Space
With the recent adjustments many of us have working from home, our pets are also adjusting. Before, they may have had the house to themselves and a routine that was followed. With many now working from home, that impacts our pet’s routine. With work, no daycare services for our children, school assignments, all can be overwhelming for us and our pets and definitely require some getting used to. Since young children also need loads of attention and love, our pets can sometimes be put in a situation where they may not be getting their needs met.
When it comes to our pets, they want to have open space and interactions and in our current situation, that is not exactly the case. Especially during this time, some parts of the home may need to be rearranged to create a workspace, adding to the anxiety and changing the home space for our pets as well.
3. Keep our Pets (and Yourself) Enriched
With all the change going on in the home, making sure our pets are well taken care of is even more important. With the added stresses of today’s current environment, plus an animal that may be having anxiety with all the changes, keeping them active is important to reduce your anxiety, but theirs as well. Regular walking of your pet is one of many ways that you can reduce the stress and anxiety when working from home with your pet.
With Luv My Sitter, we are here to make sure that you and your pet are both adjusting to the ongoing changes. During this time of uncertainty, making sure your pet has an outlet that isn’t jumping on the back door to come in, barking on the conference call, or them experiencing the stress of the home, we offer a suite of services that cater to your needs. Especially during this shelter in place order, we are here to make sure your pets have a healthy and safe outlet.
Our “Fear Free” approach to our work is targeted towards making sure your pet has the best experience possible, while you have a piece of mind knowing your pet is being taken care of and given the exercise and attention they need in this time of change.