Top tips from Dogs Trust to keep your dog happy during Covid-19 pandemic

Main photo - Former Dogs Trust Ireland resident Chihuahua cross, Obie, keeping busy with his teddy bear Photograph: ©Fran Veale

Dogs Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, understands that dog owners may be concerned about how to look after their dogs if they need to self-isolate and stay at home or if they are now working from home.

The charity advises self-isolating dog owners to try to make alternative arrangements for someone to look after their dogs until they feel better, so the dogs can continue with their normal exercise routine.

If that’s not possible, there are lots of ways to keep dogs happy and healthy within the comfort of their own homes, from activities involving their favourite treats and toys, to building doggy dens and treasure hunts.

Karla Dunne, head of Operations at Dogs Trust, said: “Try hiding some of your dog’s favourite treats in different rooms around the house and see how quickly they manage to locate them.

“If your dogs enjoy playing, show them some love by spending time playing their favourite games with them. Why not teach your dogs new tricks? We have lots of easy to follow videos on our website – DogsTrust.ie.”

Becky Bristow, executive director, Dogs Trust Ireland, added: “If you are not self-isolating, the current government guidance is that it’s okay to go outside to walk your dog, but to keep your distance from others, so you may wish to avoid popular dog walking spots.

“While it is not proven that COVID-19 can be transmitted between humans and dogs, we would always recommend washing your hands before and after interacting with your pets, but we will continue to monitor this and take guidance from the World Health Organization.”

Dogs Trust is urgently appealing to dog lovers for their help.

It had to make the difficult decision to close the Rehoming Centre to the public temporarily.

As a charity that receives no government funding, it relies on the generosity of the public.