If there’s one group that’s loving all extra at-home time, it’s working moms with young children. Just kidding, it’s dogs. With social distancing and shelter-in-place orders throughout the country to stop the spread of the coronavirus, humans are home and their furry friends are just loving the extra quality time.
But while dogs with homes are having the time of their lives during the coronavirus pandemic, shelters are having a tough time finding people to adopt or foster. With so many people staying in, they are seeing less foot traffic from dog-lovers looking for a new best friend. Really, now is a great time to bring in a new animal friend while there is an abundance of time to bond and train a pup in need. Also, Monday is #NationalPuppyDay, according to the Internet.
Professional runners Emily Sisson, Jess Tonn, and Jenny Simpson all saw this as a good time to welcome rescue dogs into their lives. Tonn and Simpson opted for adorable puppies named Clyde and Truman, while Sisson picked a heart-melting three-legged girl named Tori. (Tori can be seen crashing Sisson’s most recent workout video.)
“We adopted Truman from an animal rescue during a time when they are getting an influx of animals and it’s a challenge to place them in homes,” said Simpson in an Instagram post, ending her sentiment with the perfect call to action: “Find someone lonely to love.”
Dogs are known to relieve stress with their affectionate nature and ability to sense human emotions. That’s why hospitals, nursing homes, and college campuses have utilized therapy dogs and puppy playtime as a service of cheer for years.
Sara Hall’s home gained a litter of husky puppies just before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta last month. Hall shared on social media that the furry bunch were an immediate source of therapy after a disappointing race day (she dropped out at mile 23). Still just weeks old, Hall is sharing their sweetest, sleepiest moments on social media.
Because everyone could use some #puppytherapy pic.twitter.com/PuutrhcmxT
— Sara Hall (@SaraHall3) March 22, 2020
Des Linden, who may or may not be harboring a puzzle thief named Boston is making the most of the forced downtime and change of plans with her dogs. (Linden’s other dog, Atlas, also has his own Instagram page that’s worth checking out.)
Puzzling indeed 🤨 pic.twitter.com/bAcUH3WtvV
— des_linden (@des_linden) March 21, 2020
We know there is a lot of stress and uncertainty right now. But their sweet, loving faces (staring at us in person or via the internet) are a reason to take a deep breath and smile. (And maybe contact your local humane society to see if there are extra pups who need a home.)