How to transition your pet into post-pandemic life as reopening continues

Humane society reports mounting calls about pet separation anxiety

As more people begin to return to work after more than a year of working from home, their pets are not too happy about it.

If your pet could talk they’ll probably tell you to never leave the house.

Many pet owners in the DMV are noticing behaviors of "separation anxiety" as most people begin returning to work in person after spending nearly a year and a half working from home with their furry friends right by their side.

Some local animal shelters and humane societies within the DMV tell Fox 5’s Ayesha Khan, they are fielding calls from worried pet owners who aren’t sure what to do when it comes to handling their pet’s anxiety of being left alone for long periods of time.

"Leave your house in small increments and just work your way up to the full 8 hour day," explained Rachel Rosen, marketing and events manager with the Montgomery County Humane Society. "You could even go for a walk around the block and come home or go out for twenty minutes run your errands and come home and slowly build them up to getting used to being home alone for those bigger chunks of time and they will realize, ‘Ok this is the normal again.’"

Brad Malin Founder and CEO of Companion CBD in Arizona said that there are several behaviors to look for in order to help pet owners determine if indeed their pet is actually experiencing separation anxiety.

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"Some of the key things to look for if your pet is demonstrating aggressive behavior is defecating and urinating in the home pacing, or drooling," said Malin, "those are definitely telltale signs that your dog has separation anxiety."

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Rosen said she has also been speaking with pet owners about possibly returning the pet they adopted or rescued right at the height of the pandemic last year.

She said the humane society will talk with them about keeping the pets at home and to just be patient and give their pet some time to adjust to the transition.