3 Creative Quarantine Activities with your Pets
With the COVID-19 breakout numbers soaring past tens of thousands of people in the United States alone (almost 2.8 million cases worldwide, close to 200k deaths as of today), this worldwide pandemic is keeping a lot of the world in shutdown mode right now. Businesses are mostly closed except for those deemed essentials (pharmacies, groceries, government agencies, etc.), and most people are exercising a healthy dose of precautions keeping 6ft or more apart from one another and wearing masks.
This is especially hard for people who have children at home. (As a DINK couple, we salute you all!) But people with pets also face a similar problem — how do we keep our pets safe, healthy, and entertained during this extended season of quarantine? With limited daily walks and poopage options, we have to be more creative in finding activities to do while safely quarantining at home with our furry friends. Here are some things you can do with your pets to pass some time and hopefully have some fun.
by MilkyBoki
If you travel a lot with pets, or just need 1 go-to bag that has all of your pets' needs stored in, this backpack is the answer! It has 11+ pockets big and small, and everything else in between to store your pets' food, drinks, towels, a slide slit for easy poop bag access, water bottle holder, a tablet pocket, smartphone access, and much more. This compact and premium-feel bag can carry them all! It even comes with 2 collapsible silicone food/water bowls and a waterproof food bag that can hold up to 15 cups of food. It's TSA-friendly with an opening in the back to place on top of your suitcase for comfort, and the straps are made with breathable mesh, so you'll be comfortable (while looking stylish and cute, might I add!) while traveling for an extended period of time.
Watch video >
by Rachel Fusaro
Dogs are one active canine breed. You throw a ball/frisbee/shoe/pizza/boomerang across the park, their hunter instinct will kick in and they will chase that toy down and bring it back to you, and you'll more or less be stuck on an endless loop of playing fetch not unlike your kids playing online matches on Call of Duty with friends. They have the energy of a 3-year old toddler, and that can be a scary thing, especially if you think about a big-dog scenario being stuck indoors for the most part due to the quarantine. So, to work out their brains (and hopefully tire them out so you can enjoy some afternoon wine while binging on Netflix's Too Hot to Handle and blaming the coronavirus for not being at a tropical resort yourself with 9 other hot singles), this YouTube shows you some possible activities you can enjoy with your pets during their mealtimes at home. Always exercise your mental capacities, even while chowing down on their favorite treats!
Watch video >
By The Secret Life of my Hamster
Ok, so a bit of disclaimer first... This only works if you have a pet hamster or a very, very small dog/cat, and a LOT of time to kill crafting this contraption. If you have bigger pets, then...good luck (or build a bigger maze and put your various pets on a match like this one here). Basically these types of activities not only exercise the pets' brains not dissimilar to the aforementioned video regarding mealtimes, but also gives them a chance to move around the house with a little more challenge involved. This is also excellent for people who have replaced their grocery runs with online orders and are in dire need to get rid of their cardboard boxes. So the next time your husband orders ANOTHER 24-pack of Doritos from Amazon, you can maybe cut him a little slack and build another level of maze for Puss in Boots for him to swashbuckle his way through.
Watch video >
Quarantine times are hard on everyone, and we don't know when it will end. We are cautiously optimistic that social distancing is working to curb new infections, and that the U.S. has seen a decline in new cases as a result. Hang in there, friends! We will get through this. And until then, let your child order another box of gatorades so you can create another maze for your pets