During this global pandemic, everything under the sun has been greatly impacted. People have lost their jobs, the economy and business have plummeted and the whole world is in mass hysteria. There is one special member of the family we all forget about and how they are handling quarantine—our dogs! Let’s take a look at quarantine from my dog Cooper’s perspective.

Hi, my name is Cooper! I am an 8 (almost 9) year old German Shorthaired Pointer. I’ve been around long enough to see how my wonderful family works: I know what time they leave for work and school and when they’ll be home, I have an exact feeding schedule and I know all the perfect times to go in for snuggles. However, I’ve noticed quite a few changes over the past few months… I’m very confused, so maybe I can show you guys, and you can help me figure out what’s going on!

My Feeding Schedule

I remember the blissful days when my dad would wake up for work and I would get my breakfast at 6:00 a.m., but now I don’t get my delicious kibble until 8:00ish when everyone wakes up for school. As far as dinner goes, I used to get my dinner right at 5:30 p.m. before everyone ran off to soccer practice, and now I don’t get my dinner until 6:30-7 p.m.! How ridiculous? But on the bright side, I get lots of extra droppings from the table because of all the snacking my family has been doing.

My Humans are Home Constantly

The past few weeks, my family has been around 24/7, and it’s pretty strange. Believe me, I love the extra attention, but it’s definitely a lot with everyone being home all the time! Hanging out with the girls is my favorite, because they give me all the attention and pets I want when I want it. I never want my family to go back to work because having them home means extra snacks and attention.

Extra Walks

Before everyone started staying home, I would get a nice 30 minute walk 1-2 times a week. Now, I get up to two walks a day! Isn’t that awesome? My old man bones probably couldn’t take more than two walks a day, but I’m very thankful for the extra exercise. I’m pretty picky—my ideal walking temperature is 60-63 degrees with partly cloudy weather and a slight, cool breeze. Thankfully, my family knows my limits and takes me for walks in the perfect weather.

Working From Home

My girls all do their school work in different rooms in the house while Mom and Dad are out running necessary errands and doing yard work. I space out my time with all three of the girls and trot my way over to them for some good pets while they work. Mom sits on the couch at night and crochets, so I have a nice spot right at her feet to nap.

I am definitely living my best life! The extra snacks, attention and exercise is everything I could have ever dreamed of in my eight years on Earth. I hope my family never goes back to work and school, so I can keep thriving in the ideal life of a dog! Quarantine is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Summer break is also almost here, so combined with quarantine, I will have had my family home for record time. Although it has been different than what I’m used to, I have loved the extra family time and never want it to end.