Over the next few weeks as more businesses re-open, you and your dog may both need to adjust to you going back to work. Here are some thoughts to implement even before that 1st trip back to the office, store, restaurant, (you get the idea):
Establish a routine. Perhaps you got a bit relaxed about setting an alarm clock these past few months. Is your dog eating breakfast at different times every day? Is dinner now on the early bird special time schedule because by 4:00 in the afternoon you just need something else to do? If these are not the times your dog will eat once you go back to work, get back into a routine now so that both you and your dog can be fully acclimated before you need to be at work.
- Create Distance. I know it sounds silly to say this at a time when everything is about creating distance, but your dog has gotten used to you being around all the time. The first day you go back to work and “disappear” for 8 hours should not be the first time your dog is without you. Start now with smaller amounts of alone time so your dog is ready to be home alone when you go back to work.
- Make A Veterinary Appointment. Most San Francisco veterinarians are open for routine appointments including updating your pet’s vaccines. If you’ve let your pet’s vaccines lapse over the past few months, now is the time to get them updated before your schedule becomes more formalized.
- Save Some of that $1200. It’s time to start re-budgeting for pet expenses. If you’ve put off grooming or veterinary appointments, cancelled your dog walker, or heaven forbid, stopped going to doggie day care, start setting aside the funds needed for pet care.
- Doggie Day Care. We know that some of you stopped going to doggie day care while you were working from home. We get it, you probably thought, “why do I need doggie day care when I’m home all day with the dog?” (we’ll answer that question in another blog). But now it’s back to work outside the house and it’s time to get back to a doggie day care routine. You could wait until that first day of work, but are you really ready to add dealing with doggie day care to the 1st time you need to get to work without riding MUNI? Start now, even if it’s just for a day or two or a week, so both you and your dog are ready for that first day back.
Establish a routine.Thanks for reading, stay healthy, & thanks for supporting San Francisco’s small businesses.