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Manny Al-Nsour

Marvin the axolotl swims around his tank

Most people agree that quarantine is miserable, stressful, or boring, so what if there was a way to alleviate those negative feelings? Pets, dogs especially, may be the solution.

While many are distancing themselves from everyone else, the majority or people have long since started to feel lonely, and pets can be a good substitute for human interaction. Pets can also provide people a reason to go outside and get exercise.

“I’ve felt very bored and tired during quarantine, but my dog helped me,” said junior Lindsay Hughes, “Playing with him gave me something to do. he helped give me motivation to get walking. Overall, he brings more joy to my day because he’s so cute and sweet.”

Another boon of pets is that they tend to be a great stress relief, as the article “During Self-Quarantine, Dogs May Help Protect Mental Health” explains.

“There are a good number of studies that suggest dogs can have a stress buffering effect on people going through challenging times,” the article said. “We see this not only in terms of people’s perceived well-being, but also in terms of physiological measures like heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone involved in stress responses.”

If this article convinced any of its readers that pets are the best, it doesn’t mean that they should rush out and get one. If anyone is thinking about getting a pet, they should make sure to research where the pets come from, the breeding conditions, if they can afford it both financially and physically and any other factors that come up during research. Adopting pets from shelters, humane societies and rescue groups are usually the best routes to take when adopting. Always double check that the pet is the right fit, because putting the pet back up for adoption can be heartbreaking.

Overall, pets can be the best way to help one’s mental and physical health during the coronavirus.