Aussies Warned Their Dogs Will Experience Separation Anxiety When You Return To The Office

As parts of Australia gear up for Step One in the road out of the coronavirus pandemic, many workers are getting themselves mentally prepared for going back into the office.

Large offices won't be allowed to reopen until Step Three, which is still a couple of weeks or months away at least, but there will be plenty of employees who will have to wake up a little earlier and commute to their work.

As a result, your fur baby will probably get a little anxious about you leaving.

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For the past six weeks, you've been there every day to give them bulk food, pets and walks and they will need a bit of time to get reused to you not being there all the time.

Veterinarian Dr Kate Adams told AAP that they could get up to a lot of mischief and even hurt themselves.

"Dogs are super social - if it was up to them, they would just have their owners around 24 hours a day. It's inevitable that it's going to be a massive adjustment," she said.

"They can get up to everything from chewing electrical cords, or eating stuffing out of couches or their beds, or even just something small like falling off the couch and hurting their back.

"One dog I had broke a cupboard and ate a peanut butter jar because they were bored - they actually ate the jar."

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Those who decided self-isolation would be a great time to get a puppy will also suffer as your new dog won't be used to you not being there. Expect loads of crying and wailing over the PetCam that you have no doubt installed.

Another thing you'll have to look out for is your pooch piling on the pounds.

Many Aussies would take their dog for walks at any hour of the day and sometimes several times a day to beat the boredom. With this newfound lack of exercise, your dog might be prone to getting a little unfit and unhealthy.

Owners are advised to taper the food you give your dog so that they get into a routine of when to eat when you're around.

On the flip side, don't expect your cat to be clawing at you leg before you head off to work.

Dr Adams added: "Honestly, cats will probably be very glad when we all go back to work. They'll probably be like, 'Okay, bye guys, I want this house back to myself now'."

Topics: News, Animals, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie