We’ve mentioned this before and you’ve probably noticed it among your neighbors, your social media feeds and maybe you’ve succumbed yourself - there is a serious pet craze going on right now! With everyone home for the foreseeable future, now is a great time to add a ‘Pandemic Puppy’ to your family. Our MAA family has grown considerably with our new furbabies. Read on to hear about our new additions.

Shorts (Haley’s dog)

We have now had Shorts for 4 months and I honestly cannot remember life without the little guy. When we first adopted Shorts, it was clear he was going to have some attachment issues. He followed us everywhere we went (at the time we were living in a 1-bedroom apartment so there really were not many places for us to go, but still.) We initially began crate training with him and did everything we possibly could for him to like his crate – if there was a trick on the internet, we tried it, trust me. Yet every time we would try and leave the house with him in his crate, he would bark and howl and absolutely lose his mind. He never tried to injure himself or anything like that so we knew it could be a lot worse, but it was very evident he had some form of separation anxiety.

Eventually, we tried to start leaving the house with him out of the crate, but he began jumping on the windowsill and knocking over plants/bookshelves we were worried he would injure himself. In the end, we just found it easier to not leave the house at the same time so one of us was always with him. In quarantine this turned out to be not so difficult, but it was definitely emotionally draining.

Evidence of Shorts adjusting nicely to alone time

We decided we needed to get a bigger place with both of us working from home so about a month ago, we moved into a row home with a lot more space. We were worried any progress we had made with Shorts’ training would have to start over with the move, but we were ecstatic when he seemed to settle in just fine. After a lot of research, we decided to talk to the vet about some anxiety medication to see if there was anything we could give him to help him in addition to all the training. The vet prescribed Prozac (yes, the human kind) and he has been taking ½ of a pill every morning for the past few weeks. During that time, we have started leaving him alone in the home office and he has finally gotten up to 2 hours of being alone. He still whines a bit but eventually calms down and seems much more relaxed. For a dog who couldn’t be left alone for more than a few minutes when we first got him, we could not be happier about his progress! A couple pics below because he’s just so cute.

Luna (Jacob’s new dog)

Kristy’s (my fiance) sister has been trying to re-home one of her dogs for several months, and we recently made the decision to bring Luna into our home. Kristy’s sister lives in Vancouver, Washington and made the drive from Washington State to Washington D.C. to deliver Luna to us.

Luna is very loving and an all-around cutie pie. She loves long walks, runs around Heritage Island, and sleeping in our bed. We know she is still adjusting to the change of scenery, but everyday brings a new improvement and more of her sweet disposition out. Kristy and I could not be happier with the new addition to our home and are looking forward to years of happiness with her. Luna’s only ask is that the thunder storms subside - she has a tendency to get anxious and shake when she hears thunder outside. Good thing she trusts and loves us already, she always comes up to me or Kristy to pet and cuddle her during the storms.

Also Luna (Lexi’s mom’s dog)

It’s so crazy how having a pet can really help ease anxieties during a challenging time like this.

Starting at the end of March, I ended up spending the next three months quarantining in New York at my mother’s house with her 90-pound, 2 year old Great Pyrenees, Luna. Luna is SO friendly, cuddly, hilarious, and loving. She always puts a smile on my face when I’m not feeling my best. And being able to give her belly rubs and ear scratches while I made the challenging adjustment to working from home made the transition much easier.

Often, my mom and I would watch the 7pm news and as we saw what was happening to our poor country, we’d start to tear up, sigh, and sulk. Luna would always hop up on the couch with us, lay down on our laps, and give us some slobbery kisses. I can’t explain how much that alleviates anxieties, fears, and negativity - at least to some degree!

Research shows that not only are people happier in the presence of pets, they’re also healthier. Pets can alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness, fear, and social isolation. I swear that Luna kept me sane during this crazy time and the love, affection, and companionship was so appreciated as we all began to discover that our world was never going to be the same.

I’ve been enjoying being back in DC this last month, but certainly am missing my furry friend. I can’t WAIT till we are eventually reunited. In the meantime, I’m going to be borrowing Haley’s dog, Shorts, for an entire week, and I know that he is going to bring me so much joy!!

My coworkers can certainly tell you how much I love dogs, and I have really come to have a new appreciation for them (and all pets!) during this wild time.

Archie (Molly’s new puppy!)

My kids have been working me for YEARS to get a dog and it only took a few weeks into quarantine that I finally caved. Archie, a Labradoodle, was born May 15 and he came home to us on Saturday - so we haven’t even had him a week yet! We are VERY lucky because he started crate training before he left his brothers and sisters, so the transition to our house has been really smooth so far. He is sleeping through the night! We can hardly believe it. We learned quickly that he has to be watched literally every minute because if he’s not getting into spots he’s not supposed to be, he’s chewing anything - shoes, corners of rugs, pawing at chairs, gnawing on furniture. But we’ve figured out he is easily distracted with his Kong toys or some fun play. My daughter keeps trying to dress him up or hold him like a baby. I’m redirecting her by giving her brushing duty, which I’m told is good to start early and keep up with so fingers crossed for establishing good habits! We’ll see how we keep these things up but the most important part above all is that he is silly, cute, happy and loved. This little ball of energy is definitely giving all of us the emotional support our party of five really needed during COVID.

Enjoy watching Archie approach his first bone - endless entertainment for his humans!

Franklin (Jaime’s dog)

Jaime & Franklin on the day of his adoption

It’s hard to believe my first baby, Franklin, will be 8 years old at the end of August! There was never a time in my life growing up when our family didn’t have a dog, so after living in DC for some years without one to come home to every day, I just couldn’t stand it anymore and convinced my then-boyfriend (now husband) that we should adopt. We took our Frankie boy home at 10 weeks old and I tried to summon my years of dog ownership experience to get him settled in and properly trained. With so many people welcoming new fur babies into their lives with the extra time at home (including 1/3 of our MAA staff!), I’m happy to impart some of my totally unofficial advice for dog parenting!

Franklin, the elder statesman of MAA dogs

Take the dog outside very frequently at first, at least once an hour, so they get used to only going to the bathroom out there and not in your house. Provide a way for them to signal to you when they need to go. For example, Franklin will lightly scratch at the door to let us know he’d like to go outside (and will sometimes do this even if he doesn’t have to go just because he knows he’ll get a treat when he comes back in--see advice #2).
Positive reinforcement is key! Whenever the dog does something well (asks to be let out, follows a command, walks easily on leash, etc.) give a treat and enthusiastic verbal praise! Some of my favorite treats are the small, soft formula from Natural Balance brand because they break apart very easily into little pieces so you’re not giving too much when rewarding your dog frequently (and are less than 5 calories per treat).
Discipline. Conversely, when the dog does something you don’t want them to do, give a firm NO and follow through every time. Eventually they will learn and won’t repeat that behavior.
Be patient. Whether you have a puppy or an older dog, they are still experiencing new things and adjusting to their changing environment. They sometimes just need time to adapt before settling into consistent good behavior.
Socialize! While more difficult these days, it’s important to let your dog meet other dogs and people, so try to find opportunities where you can do that safely.
Monitor their health diligently. Some dogs are more prone to health issues but for the most part, regular vet visits will keep them out of harm’s way. However, remember that they can’t necessarily let you know when something is wrong so it’s important to keep an eye out for anything concerning. Sharing from a scary experience, did you know that dogs do not bruise? While lounging with Franklin a few years ago, I noticed what looked like bruises on the inside of his ears. I snapped a photo and sent it to our vet and to make a long story short, Franklin was diagnosed with a rare blood platelet disorder and was put on medication to save his life. He’s in remission now but we make sure to check him extra carefully on a regular basis.
Give love! Your dog just wants to make you happy, so return the favor with abundant snuggles, kisses, pets and “whosagoodboy/girls”!

MAA’s Favorite Gear & Tips:

Snuggle Puppy - One of our PAC friends (h/t Natalie Pontzer!) recommended this toy to help soothe your baby at night in their crate.
Thundershirt for storms/anxiety inducing situations
Kong - a frozen kong filled with peanut butter or cream cheese can provide an hour of fun!
Interactive Food bowl - Helps to prevent your dog from eating too quickly!
Exercise Pen - Since my husband and I both work full-time and our kids cannot really be trusted to watch Archie all day, we bought this pen to extend Archie’s crate for times when he wants to chill out but not be all the way in his crate. Plus, we can then cook dinner or be upstairs and not worry about what he’s getting into. This folds up and is transportable too. So far well worth it!
Vet - Certainly based on where you live, but Friendship Hospital for Animals is the only 24 hour clinic in DC (I believe) and we also use it as our regular vet and have received excellent care.
Doggy daycare - we take Shorts to Dogma and he loves it! You can tell they really love the animals there and he’s always so exhausted once we get him home.