Pandemic Pup Reporter

Life in the Pandemic From a Dog’s Eye View

What’s a pup to do during a pandemic

One day in March 2020 everything changed at our house. My owner was home all the time. Of course, I liked that but things were different.  I kept hearing my owner say words I never heard before: “COVID, Corona Virus, Pandemic, Quarantine and Pause.

So many things were different. People were delivering food to our house. And lots of packages were coming to our house. My favorite was from Chewy.com because I could smell my food in them.

One day when I went outside I saw some people, but not very many, with their mouths covered. I asked my owner who was wearing something over her mouth too. “Who did those people bite?”  It looked like they were wearing muzzles.

One of the worst things was I couldn’t go over to my friend Isabella when I saw her outside with her owner Vicki. Vicki and my owner kept us apart, at least six feet away and all we could do was wag our tails. My owner said we had to “Social Distance.”

The Bark Bathe & Beyond van stopped coming. I didn’t see Andi anymore. She always gave me a bath and cut my hair. I didn’t really like what she did but I liked her.  My hair was getting long and I was getting more annoyed when my owner washed my face and paws and brushed me.

I had to go see Dr. Duffy and my friends at Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center for a check-up but that was different too. Instead of going in, my owner called and she told them that we were in the parking lot. I waited in the car and then my owner would hand me over to Donna and she didn’t come in with me. They were all wearing masks too. It just wasn’t the same.

In the middle of the day my owner would say “It’s Cuomo Time” and I knew that meant for me to jump up on the sofa with her and sit and watch the television. I heard this man on the television say, “New York Tough, New York Smart, Disciplined, United and Loving.” When I heard that I knew it was time for a walk.

When we took our walks and if my owner saw someone without something covering their mouth and nose, we had to walk on the other side of the street. I would hear her say, “Where’s your mask? I care about you, so I wear one.”

My owner talked on the phone a lot every day, in the morning, the afternoon and at night. There was a lot of noise in the kitchen and I could smell a lot of things but I never got any of what she cooked or baked.

I would hear my owner talk to people on her laptop and I could hear them. I even heard a dog barking once. “I am having a Zoom meeting,” she explained. I sat on her lap one night when she had a Library Board Zoom meeting.

The saddest thing was that no one came to visit me in my house anymore. One day, Danny the plumber came. I heard him say, “Where’s Maggie?” But I couldn’t greet him and bring him a toy to play fetch with me because I had been sent to my crate. My owner wore a mask and he did too.

Finally, the Bark, Bathe & Beyond truck came and I got a bath and my hair was trimmed. I was a new dog!

It’s been a long time now and even though I hear that people are doing more things my owner says we are staying in Phase One.

Stay safe and stay well everyone.

Groomed and enjoying the fresh air

About Maggie Mae Pup Reporter

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