Never a better time to have a dog

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am absolutely in love with my dog. And I am grateful for his companionship each and every day.

Last year when I sustained a concussion and couldn’t read, couldn’t spend time on the computer; my dog was a great distraction.

I learned then, what many will be learning now in the age of social distancing, there’s never been a better time to own a dog.

There is the obvious and most commonly touted benefit of companionship. My dog is always keen to sit with me, always wants to be near me. And when I am home all the time, as I am now, he finally has as much ‘me’ time as he wants. Which is every minute of the day.

And there is the need to keep active and go outside when you have a dog. No matter how dull you feel from social isolation, the dog will make sure you get outside at least five times a day. And probably get some exercise.

We haven’t been on many walks lately due to the salt on the street and sidewalks, but we have some great games of ball in the back yard—so much so my pitching arm is sore in the mornings.

A dog keeps you regular too. Not the bran and prunes type of regular, but the get-up-in-the-morning type. My dog can only stay inside so long after the sun rises—it’s his signal to get up and get outside. If I’m lazy, his whimpering gets me up and at ‘em quickly. Thankfully, he usually can wait until I get the coffee going.

My dog is sitting next to me now as I write this, keeping company on a quiet morning. We’ve been out, enjoyed the calm, crisp morning and are ready to face the day together.

Social distancing in the age of COVID-19

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Yesterday I learned how much a hug means when I couldn’t give one.

I was attending the wake of the father of a family whose connections are vast in this small community. One of the sons was my childhood friend since before we went to school in Grade Primary.

I remember sitting with him under a big spruce tree where our tire swing was hung when we were five years old. The other kids and adults were picking strawberries at our U-pick farm and in my memory, I kissed that boy.

I remember attending his birthday party at his family home, and he attended mine until we got to that age where boys and girls didn’t hang out together in elementary school.

I moved away in Grade 4 and then back again in the last months of Grade 12, and this boy was one of the friendly faces that greeted me during that difficult time.

And it wasn’t just this boy who had played a big part in my childhood, his older sister did too. At the age of 11, she started to babysit my sister and me; we would have been about 6 and 8 years old at that time. I’m pretty sure we were a handful.

There were so many days I remember her calling me to supper, her struggling to stay awake on the late nights my parents kept. She became a second mother to me.

And yesterday, when I saw them at the visitation for their father, I had to keep my hugs to myself. And it was hard. I felt a physical pull towards them, wanting to hug them, to let them know that I wanted to hold their pain for that moment.

The reason for this restriction on contact was the COVID-19 outbreak. At this time, there has not been a confirmed or presumptive case of the virus in this province, but it can be assumed that it is here or will be soon. Of all the things that will suffer from this outbreak, this restriction on physical contact in times of emotional need, may be the most difficult.

As my childhood friend said yesterday when he stood a little closer to me when I came to extend my condolences, "It's a whole new world."