As a Covid outbreak hit the Chinese city of Xi’an in January 2022, a woman named Liu had to leave her home and enter a strict 14-day quarantine. Sadly, she was not allowed to bring her dog with her, so she left enough food and water out and set up a security camera.
At first, Liu’s confused dog sat by the door waiting for her return. By the second day, the dog was getting frustrated with his circumstances.
What Separation Anxiety Can Do To A Dog
When Liu watched the footage from the surveillance cam, she saw the result of her dog’s loneliness and frustration. The anxious pup wandered around the whole apartment, chewing on everything in sight.
“Every single day, it was tearing up the house. Every single day it was destroying a new item. Almost everything in the house is broken now,” Liu said.
All Liu could do was watch from afar as her dog ripped through her clothes, bags, and furniture. With a week still left in her quarantine, Liu started buying new furniture for the apartment online.
The most likely explanation for the dog’s destructive rampage is that he was experiencing separation anxiety. Dogs also need to expend their energy on daily walks with their human and require mental stimulation throughout the day. This pup lacked all of that.
After everything, Liu still had a positive attitude and didn’t blame her dog.
“At least my dog is still healthy. It hasn’t eaten anything that bad. In seven days, we can return home, and things will get better,” she said. “The house may be trashed, but we can clean it up, and it’ll be okay.”
Covid Procedures And Pets
Experts described this outbreak in Xi’an as the most serious to hit China since the original Wuhan outbreak. The latter happened in late 2019, so why are there still so many kinks in government responses?
The viral video on the Chinese social media platform “Weibo” prompted discussions on why dogs aren’t factored into quarantine plans. One user, Qcher, pointed out that simply having designated pet care workers would help the animals left behind.
(translated from Chinese) “How come there are no pet volunteers in this city? If you can see people, it will relieve pet anxiety.”
Most people contributing to the discussion insist that the dog should not be blamed for tearing up the house. User Dream Autumn Pharmacist wrote:
(translated from Chinese) “After 14 days of isolation, the dog has nowhere to vent his energy and can only tear down his house.”
If anything, this video should indicate that there need to be plans in place to keep our pets safe and healthy during emergency quarantines.
H/T: Next Shark
Featured Image: Weibo
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via Whisker Therapy