In just one month the life we were used to got flipped upside down. In an effort to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 virus, the world has taken to self-isolation and social distancing. From doing online lessons to working from home, people have become separated from the social aspects of life. While us people may be experiencing frustrations with this isolation, there is a bright side for some members of families: our pets are now receiving more attention than they ever thought possible.

Meet Annie and Rocco! Annie is a Boxer mix with unbounded energy, and Rocco is a German Shepherd mix who’d rather relax at home all day. Annie loved to go to the Waterford Dog Park across the street from Clark Lane Middle School, but because of the park’s closure, she’s enjoying the numerous walks her family has been taking her on. Rocco is just happy to stand outside in the front lawn for a few minutes before heading back inside to sleep. 

This is Brooklyn, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix. With her owner home all the time from school, Brooklyn gets a share of her owner’s food in her own dish. When the boredom of being home kicks in, she gets to ride in her owner’s car as they drive aimlessly around town. Brooklyn loves to give hugs, and whenever she gets excited the strip of fur on her back poofs up forming the ridge iconic to her breed. 

Even with the family home, Nina still likes to get up to mischief. Despite being a small Chihuahua/Yorki mix, she likes to pretend she’s taller than she is by jumping up on the kitchen counter!

Way out in Michigan, dogs are still having a blast with their family at home. Fruit Loops and Gypsy, both Australian Labradoodles, are boisterous puppies who love the constant walks. They’re still going through a lot of training as they’re young, but they get treats in the process, so they don’t mind. With confirmed cases of the virus in their neighborhood, Fruit Loops and Gypsy try their best to bring positive vibes to their family.

Jazi is a Hungarian Vizsla whose family lives in Doha, Qatar. That’s around 6,600 miles from Waterford! Because of the desert heat, Jazi isn’t able to go on many walks or play around outside. Her family has to get creative with the games they play with her inside; so far little wrestling games or fetch seem to work the best. Sitting next to her air conditioner is one of her favorite pastimes, after playing of course. 

This is Jazz, a two year old Rottweiler/Lab mix. She lives in Leeds, England. Jazz is a little bundle of energy who demands to go on multiple walks a day and go to the special fenced in dog park where she can run around freely. Alongside all of the exercise demands, Jazz’s owners are able to focus on her training, she’s currently learning to fetch, crawl, and roll over. After long days of running around, Jazz loves to settle in with her mum and cuddle as she works from home. 

Also living in England is Stakita. Stakita’s life hasn’t really changed due to the virus; the big change in her life was when her owners brought home a baby one day back in October last year! Living with a young child during these times really makes life fun for this old girl. Without the need to go on more than one walk a day, Stakita likes to just lie down, soak up the sun, and follow her family around the house.

This is Roxy, an eight month old Bull Terrier living in Sawtry, England. Normally her dad loves to watch the Premier League matches on the weekends, but now that games aren’t being played, he has more time to play with Roxy! Along with being taken out for walks, she likes to run around in the backyard. The only time she stops is to get rubs or to watch the flies buzz around. 

From England in the north we travel down to Johannesburg, South Africa. Kula and Nala are the two siamese siblings, Tau is the darker brindle with white socks, and Ginger is … well, ginger! These cats have had to give up some of their home to let their mum and dad set up spaces to work. While Ginger likes to get himself comfy on his dad’s stomach, Kula likes to explore outside and eat flowers. Tau is the old man of the family and likes to curl up and sleep away the day. 

Back here in Waterford, Sage and Willow are two calicos sisters who celebrated their fifth birthday during the start of the school shut down. They got to eat their favorite dish: tuna! With their owner practicing her ballet from home, Sage likes to roll around practicing her own version of ballet. Normally the siblings only have each other to play with during the day, but now Willow has many options of laps to sit on, and Sage is getting lots more tummy rubs and head scratches. 

Egypt is somewhat annoyed with the fact that there are so many people home now. Normally he likes to sleep at the top of the stairs for a good portion of the day, but now with people constantly walking by he gets woken up a lot from his daily naps. He does enjoy the extra head rubs, but still won’t allow anyone in the family to pet his tummy without administering a few scratches here and there. 

This is Nemo and Willa hanging out in the perfect chair for cuddles. These German Shepard siblings have had a great time running on the beach and playing frisbee in their backyard. After many long walks, they enjoy sitting on the porch watching other people and dogs go by. 

What are you and your pets doing during this quarantine? Respond in the comments. Let’s face it, we all need a few more pet photos.