Pandemic Paw-sitivity

Every morning when I see our dog Smokey roll on his back in a morning ritual, with his belly up, looking for a gentle rub, I can’t help but be reminded of Snoopy from Peanuts thinking “I must admit that I have a pretty good life”! All Smokey’s basic needs, however simple, are taken care of - be it his food, shelter and walks. We have tried getting fancier with him, like dressing him in snazzy jackets to protect him from the cold, but he hates them and gets rid of them by aggressively tearing them up. The walks are the most exciting part of his day where he can socialize with other dogs, and snag heavenly treats from some generous dog owners and generally meander in the wilderness. The rest of the day he naps for long periods of time, mostly finding a cozy place next to humans going about their daily business.

The part about Snoopy’s, and Smokey’s “pretty good life” feels even more relatable when I read about overachiever working dogs. There are sniffer dogs busy training to be the next covid-19 testers; service dogs training and specializing in assisting humans with physiological or psychological conditions go about their daily routine; therapy dogs providing comfort to people in hospitals, schools or other stressful places; working dogs in K9 units in police departments and the military; or the farm dogs used for herding or the age old show dogs prepping for dog shows. Not to mention the dog influencers storming social media, especially during the pandemic. Well, heck, even virtual dogs are taking a spot on the stock market with DOGE, which started as a joke, but ended up being seriously traded due to people ridiculously following Elon Musk’s tweets about DOGEcoin.

Every time I notice cute sniffer dogs at airports, hanging around the baggage claim area, on one hand I have to overcome an impulse to pet these adorable canines, while on the other hand wondering a bit anxiously, if they would sniff out the Indian preserves, pickles or spices in our luggage. Of course we aren’t allowed to interact with them so as not to distract them. It is very impressive that dogs such as these can be trained to sniff out covid infections. Under controlled laboratory conditions, in preliminary studies, scientists found that dogs were able to detect infections via sweat or saliva with a close to the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of a rapid antigen test. There are many hurdles to cross until dogs can effectively be utilized to scan through crowds of people for signs of covid. However, this is a promising first step with a lot of potential.

I am always amazed by the patience and skill of guide dogs assisting vision or hearing impaired individuals and folks with other physiological impairments, or service dogs assisting people with psychiatric disabilities. Despite dogs being naturally predisposed to assist in such cases, there is so much training required before they get certified to carry out these tasks. Then there are the impeccably trained dogs of the K9 unit. Sometimes when we bring Smokey for a walk in the woods near us, we come across dogs of a K9 unit in training. These dogs train for a few hours at a stretch and are not allowed to mingle with other dogs as they have a strict regimen and can’t be distracted. 

Just when I was thinking about all these hard-working pups, our 85 lbs shepherd-hound free-loader rolled on his back, letting out a big sigh, feet dangling in the air, belly up, beckoning me to give him a belly rub, and yet again reminding me of his “pretty good life”! I couldn’t help wondering, as I absently stroked his warm, smooth fur, why I let my kids convince me to adopt this demanding, attention-seeking, forever-four creature! In a few minutes he readjusted himself snuggling closer to me, with his tail wagging gently, giving a big, wet, doggy kiss on my cheek, and looking at me with those smokey eyes that had made us all fall in love with him at first sight. About eight years ago, after looking for numerous puppies of different breeds for almost four months on the dog adoption site PetFinder, we came across an adorable 12-week old puppy called “Ballpark”. All four of us instantly agreed on adopting this puppy, who had been abandoned in a ballpark (hence his unusual name) in Tennessee. He travelled to Connecticut in a dog transport truck, where we picked him up and the rest is history. 

Well, he may not be a working dog, but he surely made us into working pet-owners! The frisky, energetic dog got us moving and getting regular exercise - which resulted in not just us, but our medical numbers also getting in a better shape. Dogs are known to improve the human immune system and their presence helps babies develop better responses to allergies. (though we did not directly benefit from the latter). Not only physical health, interacting with dogs is known to improve mental health and reduce stress by increasing oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine levels, which are feel-good chemicals in the human brain. Therapy dogs are meant to exactly do this in a professional setting, like hospitals, schools and such. Smokey is our at-home therapy dog without a professional license. I strongly believe that Smokey can sense when we feel low, or feeling anxious, or are in pain, and does his best to make us feel better. On other occasions, when he is all goofy and playful, I end up smiling way more, making me feel relaxed and happy. I feel due to Smokey we get out more and have more social interactions outdoors. During covid this was a blessing as we did not encounter loneliness or feeling stuck at home during lock-down. Beyond this, Smokey is an amazing guard dog. We haven’t had issues with human intruders so far, but we do get wild-life such as foxes, coyotes, deer, hawks etc. And even though his barking can be loud and annoying at times, it sure brings some peace of mind and a sense of security. 

Every dog is a working dog just by being who they are! There is a long list of practical reasons why I shouldn’t call him a free-loader or envy his “pretty good life”. The topmost reason is that this loyal, loving family member listens to us without judgment or questions, and simply responds with his eyes (and he hasn't learned rolling his eyes yet)- now isn’t that a win-win for parents and kids alike! I turn a blind eye to the barks in the middle of the nights, to the incessant pawing to go out for walks, to the dog fur everywhere, to the demand for water as soon as we sit for dinner, to the begging for treats, to the holes dug around the yards...I wonder if it really was my kids who had to convince me to adopt a dog or it was simply love at first sight for my four-legged fur-baby.

Image credit : https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/covid-19-sniffing-dogs-put-to-the-test-in-the-uk.html

Peanuts by Charles Schulz