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machado: dogs are the other pandemic superheroes

who has time for doomscrolling when you are sopping up puddles of pee and researching the latest and greatest in dog food?

by lisa machado

published dec 14, 2020

last updated jul 29, 2023

4 minute read

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4 minute read

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parker, who wears diapers, was adopted. a sign that kindness still exists in a year punctuated by anxiety and fear. supplied

“hey!” my 80-something neighbour yelled from his porch, as he hung a sparkly wreath on his door. “you a dog-walker now?”

“you say that like it’s a bad thing,” i yell back, trying to hold on to three dogs — one that was attached to wheels to help him get around when his shaky legs couldn’t do the job, a chubby blind black pug and a 10-week-old bouncy, i’m-loving-life puppy.

and while i may have looked a tad bit overwhelmed —reining in the wheelie dude as he barked relentlessly at a bushy-tailed squirrel taunting him from across the street while distracting the puppy so he didn’t pounce on the unsuspecting blind pug — the truth is, this is what you see everywhere in my neighbourhood, and in many others across canada: lots and lots of four-legged friends walking their humans.

it’s the year of the dog, for sure.

try to find a puppy these days and most breeders will tell you you’re barking up the wrong tree. the wait time for these “covid puppies” is up to a year or more. a friend of mine dug in her heels over a shiny, brown cockerdoodle, but when she went to see the man about the dog, he said it would be two years before she gets her paws on one. in fact, he said orders were higher in the last six months than in his entire 15 years of breeding. even the humane societies and rescue groups are short on animals to adopt.

not a surprise, given the way 2020 has unfolded into a bit of a dog’s breakfast. after all, who has time for doomscrolling when you are sopping up puddles of puppy pee, hunting for a missing shoe or researching the latest and greatest in organic pet food? besides, it’s been scientifically documented: dogs make us feel good, and they are good for us, too.

research from the american heart association found that pet ownership was associated with reduced heart disease and greater longevity in humans. the study tied these better health outcomes to the increased physical activity that comes with having a dog — from walks, to playing fetch, dogs keep us in motion. also, nothing gets you scurrying like the sound of a dog about to throw up on the carpet.

there’s also the emotional component — companionship and unconditional love. who wouldn’t want to see a wagging tail and a happy face after a long day of zoom calls at the sofa-desk?

a study out of japan famously showed that when our dogs stare into our eyes, they activate oxytocin — the same hormone that helps infants bond with their mothers, and also reduces stress and anxiety. sounds pretty awesome, given that most of us are grasping for some good feels these days. and in a time when loneliness and isolation are at all time highs, and there’s not much in the way of joy and whimsy, if a little fur and drool get you there, why not?

a neighbour commented recently that her rescued 10-year-old dalmation, who was found wandering the streets with a broken leg by the local spca, gives her a “reason to get up in the morning and brings an overall positive vibe to an otherwise dreary covid life.”

i can totally relate. the dog with the wheels is parker, my latest foster. he came from the fabulously passionate homeward bound rescue , a volunteer-run dog rescue group just east of toronto. he was surrendered by his family when a spinal disease made it difficult to care for him. in diapers printed with moons and stars, and a hole cut in the back to accommodate his long tail, parker easily charmed the neighbours in the short time he was with me.

while the extra accoutrements made him, sadly, less likely to be adopted, one week ago a young couple came to meet him after falling in love over the internet. “i am going to build him a ramp,” said the dad. “grandma is going to sew him some diapers,” said the mom. and when they drove away with parker nestled safely in the mom’s lap, my heart hurt a little, but also rejoiced. not only was i thrilled he had a ‘furever’ home — as they say in the rescue world — but there was also a sappy sense of renewed faith in humankind that i realized i had lost over the last few virus-focused months.

certainly, the proliferation of dogs has a dark side. between the predicted spurt in dogs surrendered to shelters by owners gobsmacked by the amount of work that needs to be put into a sparkly-eyed pupper, and backyard breeders and puppy mills abusively breeding dogs to sell at hiked up prices to take advantage of the covid-19-induced puppy shortage, there’s a lot to worry about if you look too hard.

for now, i am finding solace in the packs of fur trotting through the neighbourhood park. their humans never had it so good.

lisa machado is the executive producer of healthing.ca.

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lisa machado

lisa machado began her journalism career as a financial reporter with investor's digest and then rogers media. after a few years editing and writing for a financial magazine, she tried her hand at custom publishing and then left to launch a canadian women's magazine with a colleague. after being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, lisa founded the canadian cml network and shifted her focus to healthcare advocacy and education.

machado: dogs are the other pandemic superheroes

who has time for doomscrolling when you are sopping up puddles of pee and researching the latest and greatest in dog food?

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machado: dogs are the other pandemic superheroes

who has time for doomscrolling when you are sopping up puddles of pee and researching the latest and greatest in dog food?

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