Over the Covid-19 Pandemic more than 23 million American households (1 in every 5 families) adopted a pet (Washington post). This is because families needed a serotonin boost to brighten up a dark time in our country, so they adopted pets, especially dogs. It was a big adjustment when quarantine ended allowing for workers to go into the office. Dogs who got full attention 24/7 are now being left at home for hours at a time. This adjustment is making “quarantine pups” scared of being separated from their owners and get anxious or panicked when their owners leave. Dogs will increase their whining/barking, lick, destroy items, pant and whine when experiencing separation anxiety.  

Just around 13 million dogs suffer from separation anxiety. When being left alone the canine amygdala (area of the brain responsible for processing emotions and detecting fear) works extra hard. Then there is an imbalance in the chemical hormones which causes the physical symptoms of anxiety.  

My family got my dog Louka over the pandemic, and he experiences separation anxiety. Whenever we leave the house, he will whine and pace back and forth by the door. When we return home, we will find ripped shoes or clothes. After a few months of this behavior, we started to get annoyed and wanted to act in helping this problem. So now whenever Louka is home alone we leave out a Kong Toy with a treat inside. This way he is occupied and will exert his energy on the toy, and not on us leaving him alone. We also make sure to show him love and affection before leaving the house.  

Bogage, J. (2022, January 7). Americans adopted millions of dogs during the pandemic. now what do we do with them? The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/07/covid-dogs-return-to-work/ 

Understanding canine separation anxiety: Calmer canine®. Assisi Animal Health. (2021, October 21). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://assisianimalhealth.com/library/canine-separation-anxiety/#:~:text=In%20dogs%20with%20separation%20anxiety,that%20leads%20to%20physical%20symptoms