A cure for Covid lonliness
A cure for Covid loneliness
The concept of a dog as "man’s best friend" is nothing new. Sigmund Freud wrote about his pet dog, Jofi, who became his late-life and therapy companion. After a series of mouth operations Freud endured, he said: "I wish you could have seen with me what sympathy Jofi shows me during these hellish days, as if she understood everything."
Not even Freud could have predicted that a pandemic would sweep the globe, locking down countries and confining people to their homes, but if he could have, he probably would've prescribed a dog to counter the loneliness many people have experienced.
Recently, 384 dog and cat owners, and non-pet owners, took part in an online survey that evaluated their mood, mindfulness and loneliness levels during the stage three COVID-19 lockdown. Many of those who owned dogs expressed sentiments similar to Freud:
"If it wasn’t for the dogs I would have had nobody here with me. They don’t talk back, but they’re definitely here for me."
And another:
"She’s a lifesaver. I have no idea how I’d cope without her. Gives me company, purpose, some affection, and joy."
Some participants even saw the experience of being locked down as a positive, because it gave them the opportunity to spend more time with their pets:
"Having him has made COVID-19 in many ways a positive experience. It has given me extra time to spend with him."