Your Pandemic Puppy is Not Returnable

jesscio
3 min readMay 13, 2021

Pet ownership is a lifelong commitment. Know that before you break a fur friend’s heart.

My beloved Ollie.

It all seemed lovely when it began. People were adopting pets like mad during the pandemic. Shelters were empty. Rejoice! All these beautiful, loving pups getting new homes. And lonely people were going to be lucky enough to know the unconditional love of a dog. Spectacular! Amazing! A smidgen of good news amidst the uncertainty and fear of a rampant global pandemic.

What could go wrong?

Well. For those of us who were dog owners before the pandemic began, we already knew: Dogs are not accessories. They are beings who have needs. They give love, but they need love, too. Dogs are amazing. They are also a lot of work. They require walks — several a day. They need other exercise, too, like visits to a dog park. And they have to be trained to do pretty much everything — sit, walk, stay, eat, don’t eat, run, don’t run. And, dog food can be costly, not to mention vet bills.

Want to rent an Airbnb? Most of them disappear from your options when you check the “pets allowed” box. And there’s usually an extra cleaning fee. Some hotels, but not a lot of them, allow pets. If you want to travel far, you’ll have to board your pup or find a great dog walker/pet sitter which…

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jesscio

Novelist. NYC. Debut novel: Sometimes A Soldier Comes Home out now! Order online where ever good books are sold. jesscio100@gmail.com