Creature comforts

Comfort in Companionship: How Pets Helped Us Through Lockdown

Dogs thrived, cats were indifferent, and fish likely remained oblivious, but many of us humans have never been more grateful for the pets that helped us navigate the stress of lockdown and beyond. From boosting mental health to improving fitness, the emotional and physical benefits of pets are well-documented. They also possess an extraordinary ability to comfort us during tough times. Here, four women share their stories with Sharon Stephenson about the healing power of their pets.

Nadia Sosa

In West Auckland, 39-year-old Nadia Sosa is bathing her five-year-old dog Frankie in medicated shampoo when we call. “Frankie is pretty high maintenance due to his skin allergies and separation anxiety,” says Nadia of her dachshund, whom she adopted from her former partner three years ago.

Originally from Argentina, Nadia moved to Auckland in 2007. She works as a corporate digital manager and lives alone in a three-bedroom house she recently bought to provide Frankie and her cat Indie with a garden. “Pets mean the world to me because of the unconditional love they give,” she says.

Nadia spent part of lockdown with her mother, who was visiting from Argentina. “Mum was diagnosed with cancer when she arrived in New Zealand, but thankfully she’s in remission now,” she shares.

Most of the time, however, it was just Nadia and her two pets. “I usually work from home one day a week, but working from home full-time was fantastic because I could spend so much time with my animals,” she says. “It helped Frankie’s anxiety because I could play with him, train him, and do enrichment activities like hide and seek.”

Having Frankie and Indie also helped alleviate Nadia’s sense of isolation. “I’m a really social person, always spending time with friends or doing sports like climbing, but lockdown put a stop to that. Having Frankie and Indie in my bubble made it far less lonely.”

They also helped Nadia curb her workaholic tendencies and establish a routine. “I’m very career-focused, and if I didn’t have Frankie and Indie, I’d work 10-12 hours a day,” says Nadia. “Pets force you to focus on them, to slow down and de-stress. Even looking at them lying in the sun or watching TV with them on the couch can be relaxing.”

Nadia has continued to work from home since Auckland’s lockdowns ended and now makes sure to take time out for herself. “I’ll go for a run or a bike ride, which is also good for Frankie because he gets used to being away from me.”

Augusta Grayson

It’s fair to say that 2020 didn’t go as planned for Augusta Grayson. In March, the 38-year-old and her partner James Reid moved from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay to be closer to her elderly parents. This move also involved relocating her dog training business and finding new clients. Two weeks after moving to a property on the outskirts of Havelock North, lockdown was announced.

“Our bubble consisted of me, James, our elderly cat Nigel, two goats we inherited with the property, and our dog Storm, whom we got the day we left Auckland,” says Augusta. “Not only were we still unpacking, but we suddenly had to get used to being in each other’s faces 24/7.”

But Augusta is no stranger to challenges. Two years ago, long days and relentless deadlines led to burnout, so she quit her 16-year career in advertising to become a dog trainer. “Giving up the great salary and the cool world of advertising was tough, but I wanted to do something I was passionate about and make a difference,” she says.

Lockdown was stressful for Augusta. “I’d lost all my work because I couldn’t visit clients, yet it felt like there was a lot of pressure to make the most of lockdown—to study or create things,” she says. “James was working from home and was stressed, and I was stressed because I wasn’t doing anything except worrying about the future.”

Her pets helped distract her from a world that seemed to be falling apart. “If I didn’t have the animals, I would’ve been left alone with my own thoughts, which would have stressed me out even more,” she says. “I needed a reason to get up in the morning and the routine of feeding and caring for something other than myself.”

Dogs, adds Augusta, are famous for knowing when their owners are anxious or sad. “It’s incredible how a cuddle with a dog can reduce your anxiety.”

Storm also helped kickstart her business with videos she filmed during lockdown. “Storm is such a goofball, and although her routine was disrupted with James and I being at home all the time, the plus side was I was able to film myself training her.”

Fortunately, since lockdown ended, Augusta’s business has picked up with lots of “lockdown puppies” needing training. “Many of them haven’t been socialized with other dogs, but there are also older dogs who are experiencing separation anxiety now that their owners have gone back to work, so it’s about working on those issues,” she says.

Katrina McClelland

Pinned to the wall above Katrina McClelland’s computer is a quote from Winston Churchill: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” This quote aptly describes how the entrepreneur and digital marketer feels about the two foals she adopted during lockdown last year.

“I was supposed to be buying a cow so we could make our own cheese, but I owned a horse as a teenager, and when I saw these two foals on Trade Me, I had to have them,” says Katrina, 51.

It’s been a year of change for Katrina, her husband Jason, and their children Oscar, 20, and Edith, 17, as well as 18-year-old Maddison, whom Katrina is a guardian to. In October 2019, they packed up their lives in Wellington and moved to a 5ha block north of Masterton in search of the good life.

This included planting hundreds of olive and citrus trees that they hope to eventually earn an income from and acquiring six chickens, five kunekune pigs, two horses, and two sheep, who not only keep the grass down but also provide fertilizer for the orchard.

The couple already owned a dog, and having lost their cat two weeks after moving, when the SPCA put a call out for people to take animals just before lockdown, they adopted a kitten named Blue.

Losing her job during lockdown was a blow Katrina wasn’t expecting. “But I’m a positive person, and having the animals helped so much,” she says. “It meant I still got up at 7 am to feed them and train the foals. It’s hard to be negative when your animals are so happy to see you.”

Having owned and run eight international businesses in her life, Katrina is used to operating at turbo speed. “I’m the kind of person who’s always busy and goes 100 miles an hour, but with animals, you have to go at their pace. It’s an enforced slow-down that’s great for my mental health.”

The menagerie also helped her daughters, both of whom suffer from anxiety and depression, as well as her son.

For more information on pet adoption, visit ASPCA.