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2021-02-04
Exotic Birds Rescued During the Pandemic
As a parrot owner myself, this story is near and dear to my heart. Amid the national news headlines of dog and cat adoptions sweeping the nation during the pandemic, the opposite is true for our feathered friends. Parrots require a great deal of time, care, money, and space. Most birds easily outlive dogs and cats, and the larger ones often outlive their owners. Parrots can be loud, demanding and messy. They don't respect that you are in a zoom meeting with the CEO or that your neighbor's baby is asleep in the apartment on the other side of the wall. With people working from home, losing income, and/or being hospitalized or passing away from COVID-19, many parrots have been surrendered to rescues. -
2020-11-09
Pupside to the Pandemic
This adorable story uses the example of a neighborhood in Rosemount, Minnesota to demonstrate the trend of families adopting dogs during the pandemic. In this neighborhood, 17 puppies were adopted by 17 families living within 3 blocks of each other, with a surprise 18th at the end of the video. -
2021-05-08
US dog shelters struggle with returns after pandemic adoption boom - BBC News
This story from the BBC talks about how many dogs adopted during the pandemic are being returned to shelters once life returns to normal. Some adopters did not think ahead or understand all the implications of pet ownership. This is a traumatic experience for these poor animals. Also fewer dogs were neutered/spayed during the pandemic, so there is an uptick in the number of puppies needing homes. -
2020-09-12
Coronavirus and pets: How the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an increase in pet adoption
This video talks about the shortage of available dogs for adoption in the United States during the pandemic. It describes the huge demand in the North East, California, etc. but packed shelters in the South. This is a trend that started long before the pandemic. Southern shelters are shipping dogs to shelters in the North for adoption. Millenials and Gen Z people want more pets and are willing to spend more money on their pets. This trend is expected to continue after the pandemic as more people negotiate with their employers to have non-traditional or hybrid work models. -
2020-05-22
Pet Adoption Protocol During the Pandemic - A Purr-fect Fit Animal Rescue
This is a social media post from A Purr-fect Fit Animal Rescue in Buffalo, New York explaining their covid procedure to potential adopters. -
2021-01-03
Ten Lives Club Eastern Hills Mall Adoption Success
This is a Facebook post from a rescue group that operates out of the local shopping mall. Even though the mall was closed during the pandemic, the group still managed to place 600 cats with their new furever families. -
2021-01-26
Running Out of Adoptable Pets
During the pandemic, shelters are having the best problem possible- there aren't enough homeless animals to meet the demand. It is a dream come true scenario for animal lovers everywhere. With more people working from home than ever before, families have more time to devote to a pet. Hopefully the trend will continue, and owners will not surrender their animals after life returns to normal. -
2020
Pet Adoption Statistics 2020
We heard so many wonderful and uplifting stories of pet adoption during the pandemic. If you wanted a dog, particularly a puppy, you most likely had to sit on a waiting list to get one. This anecdotal evidence points toward a huge increase in pet adoption, but what do the numbers tell us? This data report from PetPoint, who has been tracking pet surrender and adoption data nationwide since 2005, paints a slightly different picture. Pet surrenders reduced significantly, so there just weren't as many pets in need of adoption. Pet adoption percentages actually decreased in 2020 from 2019. So the pet adoption boon that we imagined was happening, was not the miracle story that animal enthusiasts were hoping for. As we emerge from the pandemic it will be interesting to look at the final report at the end of 2021 to see if there is a drastic increase in surrenders as many shelters are anticipating. -
2021-05-13
Pandemic Pets Return to Shelters
Sadly, as the nation returns to work and activities, pets adopted during the pandemic are paying the price. According to the article, owner surrenders are up more than 80% from this time last year. People did not think far enough ahead about what would happen once the pandemic was over. Now its the poor animals who have to pay the price. When will people learn that animals are not toys to be thrown away when it becomes inconvenient? -
2021-06-03
A Pet Emergency During the Pandemic
The story describes the difficulties of dealing with emergencies during the pandemic time and how social isolation negatively affects one's ability to weather these emergencies. -
2020-07-24
My New Cat
I took this picture on the day I got my cat Birdie. This was last July, and it was the first time I had gone out to do something with my whole family since the start of the pandemic. This was great because it gave my whole family and my dog Buck someone new to look after as well. -
2020
Haircuts during quarantine
During the initial outbreak of Coronavirus, barbers and hair salons were closed and we didn't feel safe going to them anyway. So many did some home-grown haircuts. The results, ummm, varied. -
2020-07-15
Pandemic Pet
This is Tiger, the cat we adopted during the pandemic. Our only pet had been a single goldfish but since we had more time to be home, we added a kitten to our family. Tiger has provided great emotional support to us all and has become an important part of remote teaching. He sleeps on the bed behind me during Google Meets and Zoom calls. -
2020
Zoom mishaps
During quarantine we used software called Zoom. It allowed us to communicate from our homes and get some work done. It also allowed video connection. There were many goofs--people caught naked, bad hair, uncensored conversations when the mics were unknowingly on, etc. One meme shows the Jetsons which was a 1960s futuristic animated show that was very popular. -
2021-03-09
#JOTPYSilver from ellie.craft
#jotpysilver my silver lining was that i got to get a kitty and spend lots of time with her. -
2021-03-16
#JOTPYPhoto from Katy Kole de Peralta
Working from home w/ Dora the Bulldog Explorer -
2020-03-30
quarantine puppy
My family ended up adopting a puppy right at the start of quarantine in March. This led to two things, first a source of joy and distraction while stuck at home, and two, a puppy with a LOT of separation anxiety. I am a person who struggles greatly with mental health and I can say with much confidence that quarantine would have been extremely difficult had it not been for my dog. My dog is actually now in the process of being trained to be a therapy dog for schools and I am happy to have been the first person she could help. I think there is something to be aid however about getting a dog during a pandemic. They get really confused now when their humans are no longer home very moment of the day, and I suppose I feel thee same way to some extent. -
2021-02-25
Longing to go Outside
Like people, my dog seems to miss going out to public spaces (like an out door mall, hiking, the patio of a restaurant, even the Pima Air and Space Museum) and getting attention from all the humans that pass by. He too is missing out on the social experiences that he used to enjoy before the pandemic. -
2021-02-08
#JOTPYSilver submission from Brianna Walker
One silver lining is that I got a puppy, (along with pretty much every millenial during this time), but he's a great cuddle buddy and a source of so much joy ❤ @covid19archive1 #JOTPYsilver -
2021-02-07
Pet Love
During this pandemic, the love of our fur babies has become even more important. Our fur babies have become even more spoiled I feel since many of us are working from home, holding meetings via zoom, and overall being forced to be sequestered with our own four walls. The increase of adoption of pets has been seen nationwide and I can see why as they provide love, comfort, entertainment, and more. Pets have been studied and it is a known fact that they lower stress, increase people in the positive direction, keep people active, and have many more benefits. I feel very blessed to have my fur babies. This is important to document during the pandemic because pets are all part of the pandemic experience because they have been affected by COVID-19 as well. -
2021-02-02
The Dog Days of the Pandemic
Teleworking due to the pandemic has resulted in a closer bond between me and my dog, who seems to be thrilled that I'm home all day to pay attention to him and has shared his joy with me to help me get through these dark days. -
2021-01-26
Pandemic Kindness
The pandemic has caused so much death, destruction, and sadness. I wanted to share something positive that has happened to me during this difficult event. While this begins in tragedy, I promise it turns around... My service dog passed away suddenly from cancer one month after his first birthday. It was April and the virus was spreading rapidly so there were new restrictions being imposed everywhere. I had to go through the process of my dog passing away all on my own and my dog had to spend a lot of the time alone in a cage in the vet's office while I was forced to wait in my car. My mind was plagued with thoughts of my dog long after he had passed. I could no longer ride in my car that I had spent so much of my dog's last hours in. Everything was closed because of the pandemic so I was forced to stay at home and everything in my house reminded me of my dog. I became very depressed and barely came out of my room. I forced myself to get up and get a blanket from the living room and I saw a rock on the table near my daughter's crafts. I don't know what it was, but I just decided to paint one. One had a triangular shape and I turned it into a shark head because it reminded me of a shark tooth. I had never drawn or painted prior to this but I was proud of my work and, at the end of it all, I realized that I had spent hours in my living room! I decided to get up the next day and paint another rock. I did this for a week and once I gathered a small pile, I put a few in my pocket and went for a walk, dropping painted rocks in random places along the way. The rocks had made me so happy at one of the darkest moments of my life and I wanted to spread that feeling to others. The whole thing really taught me how something really small can make a big difference. Painting rocks has helped keep me connected with others during the pandemic. I've found communities of rock artists and we share ideas with one another. I've also discovered I have a talent for drawing and painting and have recently begun taking commissioned art requests. I still make sure to paint plenty of "freebies" and I leave them everywhere from gas pumps to hidden in trees. I am so grateful to be able to spread even a little bit of kindness during this difficult time. -
2021-01
A COVID-19 Puppy
After months of deliberation, my wife and I decided to welcome another dog into our household. We were hesitant about getting a big dog, since we have only had experience with dachshunds together. But I have wanted a German shepherd my entire life and we figured that now is perhaps the only time in our lives that we will have enough time to invest in a big dog to make sure he is well trained (plus to keep him from eating the furniture!). Working from home due to the pandemic enabled us to get another dog, which probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise. While I am looking forward to some normalcy hopefully returning later this year, in the meantime I will be hanging out with my new pup, Oliver. -
2020-05-20
Gia's Soft Fur
I will always remember the feeling of my dog Gia's soft fur and the tickle and wetness of her silky tongue licking my hand during this pandemic. These sensory experiences soothed me during a stressful and anxiety-ridden time during the COVID pandemic. When the pandemic worsened in March 2020 and the state of Utah went into a full lockdown, my family's life changed suddenly. My son's birthday party was canceled. My children began school online. My husband no longer found himself flying to New York or Los Angeles, and I found myself filled with worry and anxiety. How will my elderly parents weather this pandemic? Will I get them sick? Will I be responsible for their deaths? Will my 9-year-old son become depressed because he can no longer play hockey or football? How will my 13-year-old handle feeling emotionally isolated because she can no longer hang out with her friends? All of these worries plagued my mind and made my body stiff, my neck sore, my mood heavy with stress. My family soon found ourselves in a new routine. We spent more quality time together since we were no longer rushing to get to activities. There was more time for dinner and meaningful conversation. However, there was still a heaviness, and everything seemed to be wrapped in a layer of anxiety. An unexpected text from my sister-in-law (who is an animal control officer) changed our lives. A darling 3-year-old black and white miniature poodle had just been dropped off at the shelter. Her elderly owner had died of COVID-19, and this sweet dog needed a home. After a quick family meeting, it was unanimous; we wanted the dog! Gia immediately became more than a pet; she became a source of comfort and calm to me. With a sweet temperament, she always seemed to know when I was full of anxiety. Each night I would sit on the couch watching the nightly news, my body tight and sore, the rigidness seeping into my muscles that comes with prolonged stress. Unaware at first that I was even doing it, I would reach for Gia, who would lay close to me, and begin stroking her fur. Often, her silky pink tongue would lick my hand, and the combination soothed and relaxed my body. Even as worry began to swirl in my mind, the questions continuing: when will it be our turn to catch this virus? Will I have lasting effects from it? Gia was there, her warm body lying beside mine, her soft fur between my fingers relaxing my body and easing my mind. During this COVID-19 pandemic, I had read that almost all the rescue dogs had been adopted across the nation. I guess I was not the only person in need of emotional comfort during this isolating time. This pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone I know. I feel so grateful that Gia came into our lives during this pandemic. This sweet dog has become more than a pet. She has become an emotional support dog for my daughter when she is lonely and a physical companion for my son when he needs to run crazy through the house. Gia is there when my nerves are frazzled from worry about the pandemic. She gently lays her warm body next to mine, as if knowing I need her near me to ease my anxiety. I stroke her soft fur, close my eyes, and remind myself to BREATHE. -
2021-01-12
My favorite things
This document contains several of my favorite things that have helped me get through the pandemic, such as video games, music, my banjo, cooking and my dog Dobbs! I submitted this from the ASU HST 580 internship course. -
2020-12-25
How Christmas Was different for me in the year of 2020
This year, with the pandemic going around Christmas was a little different. There were several new situations that occurred one of them being the fact that my grandparents couldn't stay long. Due to the fact that COVID-19 mainly only affects people with preexisting conditions or old age, my grandparents had to go before we opened presents. Another new thing this year caused by COVID is that with the free time, my sister who would've been in college spent her free time training a puppy that got to be with us at Christmas time. Besides for situations such as those we had a normal Christmas with family, presents, and church. With church however, to keep things outside and moving with groups separated they die a tour where you met volunteers who told stories dressed as people who were present for the birth of Jesus. -
2020-12-15T10:44:45
What is Covid?
January 2020 is when I first got knowledge of some pandemic in the world. My school at the time didn't give a Honors Science class for 7th grade so I was stuck with people who messed around a lot. They would always talk about themselves passing on what they called Covid. It wasn't though until 3-5 weeks later when my entire district was pulled out of school because of Covid, they thought it would only last a few weeks, but me and my friends already knew it would last much longer. 2 weeks went by of no knowledge at all being given for me to learn and being bored with my entire family in the house. We are very fortunate so far, as my parents worked at companies that were benefiting from Covid. My Dad's company benefited from more people using Wi-Fi and my Mom because she worked at a Drug Company where she right now is releasing a treatment for Lung Cancer. Eventually School went into remote learning, we almost learned nothing as the entire system was wack. We always talked about how when the election came, it would get better, it did, for a week. When it came to Summer my parents made the smart and expensive decision to move me and my brother to a private school, after getting into it we started finally relaxing as some loose end were getting tied, we also got a puppy mini labradoodle the is black, we call him Leo and he is our 'Covid baby'. With Covid regulations changing all the time we had to not only learn new rules, but even sometimes had to get certain masks and coverings. Like when you pick up food, or when you dine out, it was all changed, and will still change. Everyone I meet believes that we (U.S. government) could have done better, I agree, but the past is the past and we just have to live with those decisions. Finally we might go back to school again in January after Winter Break, I hope we do. That is how so far my life had went with a Virus that encroached us from all possible angles. -
2020-12-11
Pandemic Puppy
This is a photograph of the puppy that was gifted to my family in March when the pandemic began to really impact our lives. Duke Has grown so much and brightened our days. -
2020-11-30
Remington the Chocolate Lab
Remington got more attention on this extended break that I got due to the pandemic. She loved all the extra attention and love that she got when she would usually be the only one at the house while everyone is at school and work. Me and my cousins found it fun to make her pull us while riding the hoverboard. She also got the most exercise during this break as well. -
2020-05-01
Group of Risk
I have epilepsy and I take medicine for it, this medicine lowers my immune system, so I am considered a group of risk for convid, my life got very limited because of that, also because of my seizures I can't have a drivers license, so I was the only one in my family that couldn't get out for the small chance I would catch convid in the uber passenger seat, or in my way to the tabaco store, I stayed 5 months in my house without being able to go outside. The depression was horrible, but when things got a little better I could TAKE MY DOG FOR A WALK. -
2020-12-01
Interview with a Cat
During the pandemic, I have been home much more than I ever thought I would. It has given me a lot of free time, that I don't know what to do with, but my cats could not be happier to have their people around more. It has allowed us to gain a better understanding of each other and the things that they help me with emotionally during this time. My cats, Waffles and Hugh, are very special to me. I adopted Waffles from a humane society three years ago, and Hugh from the side of the road 2 years ago. They have been very helpful to me as emotional support animals through a lot of my college career, and they are both very sweet boys. During the pandemic, they have each gotten a little closer to my heart because their personalities have really started to shine through because I am able to be home and watch and interact with them more. Waffles is a 14lb grey and white longhair, and Hugh is a 10lb black and white short hair. Hugh is rambunctious. Waffles is not. It has been heartwarming to watch how they each take care of each other, and piss each other off a bit (as brothers and all family do) and it has made me realize how important my cats are to me. When I have bad days, they are so much more responsive to me. They come cuddle and bug me so that I get out of bed and start doing things, rather than lay there and wallow as we so often want to do. It really makes me wonder what is going on in their heads. My cats have been my saviors through this whole thing, they have been a constant that doesn't change. They have been sources of comfort and entertainment, and I could not imagine getting through this without them. -
2020-12-01
Beetle Husbandry
In this pandemic, there has been no shortage of people sharing stories of being in quarantine with their pets and companions, however too saturated are stories of cats and kittens, dogs and puppies, and all those other lovely mammalian companions. Invertebrates truly are unique to raise and care for and this pet owner has their beetle perusing the pages of a Japanese-English encyclopedia on itself. -
2020-12-03
A Beloved Job that is Dying
I work at a great dog daycare in West Roxbury. We used to be very busy, and even during the holidays were forced to turn people away. Now my dog daycare is an empty building most nights, we have plenty of vacancy for Thanksgiving break, and I am forced to work an overnight shift so I can still attend college. I go into work at 10 p.m., there I ask, “how many dogs?” Often, I get witty remark like 22 dogs, but 20 are missing. Normally 22 dogs on a Sunday was normal, now I take care of 3 or 4 dogs. Sometimes I am lucky, and I will have almost 15 dogs to care for. I clean the building and I look at the whiteboards, where the dog names should be written. Instead all I see is a blank board and faded Sharpie marker. I miss being able to in on weekends and enjoying Sundays. Now all I do is sleep during the day and work at night. Sometimes I am lucky, and I can get a few hours of rest before my 8am Zoom classes. -
2020-05-04
Diamond Dog - HIST 393
Covid really began changing my life when the news broke that I would not be returning to my college campus. I remained home from my spring break with my family in New England and lots changed, both positive and negative. The most positive change in my life since the pandemic began has been my new family member, a mini Australian shepherd named Penny Lane. Penny is my family’s first dog and has been a big part of how we stayed sane throughout the initial craziness of Covid. Having a puppy to unite my family was a huge help because we were all feeling divided and found ourselves crashing more than usual due to the extended time at home. We were all able to bond over the teamwork required to take care of a pet and the happiness that a happy puppy brings to a household. Penny has helped all of us deal with our specific anxieties as well. In my case, I found myself becoming more reclusive, and finding motivation to do school work was more and more difficult. Experiencing a dog being happy to see me when I walked back home helped my motivation tons and made me want to retreat less into my negative thoughts. Penny had been a silver lining because we would not have gotten her if we weren’t spending so much time at home, and she made adjusting to the new way of Covid life much easier. As time has gone on, I find myself reflecting on the positive aspects of my quarantine experience more than the negative ones, and Pennny has been the most positive change in my life during he plague year. -
2020-10-24
Covid: Concerns over 'dogfishing' and abandoned pets
With COVID-19 lockdowns, many people are seeking pets for company. Smugglers, however, are taking advantage of this by selling smuggled dogs for large amounts of money. There has also been an uptick in the number of dogs abandoned due to various reasons including financial struggle. -
2020-08-26
Grandpa & Gracie
I’ve missed my Grandpa terribly, but we’ve able to bond during the pandemic through a continuous email exchange concerning my dog. I’ll send him photos, and he’ll help me conspire ways to keep her safe from falling in our pool. We’ve been able to connect through our shared love of Gracie, even though we haven’t seen him or my Grandma for months. It’s been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in this plague year, especially because Grandpa is mostly deaf and can’t communicate well in person. It’s interesting how technology (and Gracie!) have facilitated connection between us. For a nonagenarian, he’s probably more proficient with technology than I am! -
2020-07-10
New Arrivals
HIST30060 Perhaps the most unexpected event in 2020 (bushfires and pandemic aside) for my family was the arrival of a proud mother duck with ten tiny ducklings. They’ve declared dominion over our pool and taken up permanent residence. I think it’s been cathartic for everyone to watch them grow and spread their wings – literally! The ducklings are just one of a number of new arrivals. We’ve also had currawongs, cockatoos, pigeons, doves, magpies and butcherbirds. They come and chill in the backyard, and mum makes sure they’re appropriately fed and watered. We think that we’ve had so many newcomers to our menagerie because of the bushfires at the start of the year, which destroyed a lot of natural habitat. But we also think the pandemic has played a role: with so many people spending all their exercise/recreational time in parks and nature reserves, disturbed birds have fled for greener pastures. I think it’s important to divorce ourselves from our own experiences of the plague year and consider how the pandemic has affected the natural world around us. We’re not alone in confronting change, and it would be selfish to only consider human experiences. -
2020-09-26
Family Fights
HIST30060 My family is pretty large: I have two brothers, a sister….and a whole menagerie of animals! Gracie dog is the best, but we also have another dog, several cats, a rabbit, and a variety of feathered friends. My siblings live interstate, so we’ve been barred from seeing them since February because of border restrictions. During lockdown, we’ve been keeping in touch by having consistent arguments on our family group chat about how to rank our pets from best to worst. My brother frames it like a ‘best and fairest medal’, as you’d receive in sport. The conversations remind me of when we all used to live together at home, and they’ve provided a nice reprieve from more ominous discussions about the pandemonium enveloping society. I think the notion of ‘reprieve’ is central to the power of animals in this plague year: they distract us from our pandemic woes and force us to take a sabbatical from our anxieties. -
2020-09-01
Digital Barkive
HIST30060 I created an Instagram account during Victoria’s first lock-down to chronicle my experiences with my dog during the pandemic. It’s from Gracie’s perspective and purely for fun, but I think it also represents a rudimentary ‘barkive’ with insight into how ‘stay-at-home’ mandates provided refreshed impetus to interact with our furry friends and rely upon them for comfort and companionship. -
2020-07-21
Pets in the Pandemic
HIST30060 It’s been difficult not seeing friends and family, but one stalwart of this year has been Gracie: my beautiful four-legged companion. Gracie’s been a source of much needed support this year, accompanying me on my daily allotted exercise and stopping for regular belly rubs. She’s cut through the pandemonium and provided me with a constant supply of love and laughter. I think pets have outperformed themselves this year, especially when human connection has been sparse due to restrictions. ‘History from below’ might not literally mean below knee-level, but I think considering the experience of pets during the pandemic will be a valuable avenue of historical enquiry. -
2020-07-20
A Woman’s* Best Friend
This represents what friendship means to me. My dog is my best friend and was the best supporter I could ask for during the 8 months Melbourne was in lockdown. -
2020-10
Pets, the Unsung Heroes: Grad School in Quarantine
I don't know where I would be without my cats, Alvin and Cornelia. This year as been stressful on all of us, people dying, not being able to leave the house, unemployment, schoolwork, the list goes on and on. Without them and their cute, furry faces I'm sure I would have broken down a lot more often than I already have. Alvin (orange) is about 4 years old and is the most talkative cat I know, he's always meowing at us for pets and love. Cornelia (brown) is incredibly anxious, but that doesn't stop her from demanding cuddles when we're about to go to bed. They are a constant in my life, something I am so incredibly grateful for. They don't even know how they make my life better, they just offer the love and want some in return. They are truly the unsung heroes of this pandemic, at least for me. -
2020-07-26
Dogs send love
HIST30060 During COVID it was definitely a comfort for many to have their pets. Whilst the world was figuratively and literally burning down around us, the unconditional love and easy needs of caring for a dog brought a small moment of respite in the day. A dog will always enjoy a treat. It makes one think about the perspective of dogs during this time. For my dog, Goliath, he now gets to see me every single day, compared to me leaving at 7 in the morning and arriving home at 4pm (sometimes later) when I was studying on campus. And he gets more walks because leaving the house with him was some of the only times we actually got to leave the house. A dog will always enjoy a walk. Just having another creature near you who enjoys the little things and isn't weighed down by the dread and despair of the pandemic and who I get to share the company of really helps. -
2020-04-29
Distance Learning with her BFF
My daughter cannot sit still for long therefore did not do well with distance learning. Every morning she had a Zoom meeting with her teacher and classmates to check in. I snapped this photograph as she Zoomed with her class and laid against her dog. She finds comfort with our golden retriever who loves her dearly. -
2020-10-17
Meet Ellie! The Pandemic Pup!
This is my beautiful pup, Ellie! Ellie’s story with my family and I begun on March 19, 2020, when my mother and I picked her up from my dad’s fire station. March 19th was an important date for my family. Not only did this beautiful girl enter our lives then, but it was also the first full day of restaurant closures during the pandemic, my school had announced its intention to continue virtually for the remainder of the semester, my birthday had just passed, and COVID-19 loomed over our daily lives, its shadow growing with each passing day. And then, there was Ellie! Ellie is such a joy in my family’s life! She is beyond sweet, unbelievably adorable, incredibly fun, and an awesome companion. It has been a real joy to watch Ellie grow up during this difficult time for our world. Her life has been like a ray of sunshine in an overcast world. I enjoy going on walks with her and my mother at the park, visiting with her on the couch and floor, watching her jump in the pool during a hot day, and of course playing fetch in the backyard with her favorite orange tennis balls. Watching Ellie grow and mature into such a beautiful dog has been a true gift to my family and me during the COVID-19 pandemic. No matter what's going on in the world, Ellie always makes my day better. -
2020-10-11
In the Pandemic Journey
I am an international student from Colombia. I was in the middle of my fourth semester as a sophomore in college when I heard that the pandemic hitting the world just entered the U.S. I was excited at the time because my girlfriend and I bought tickets to go to New York City during spring break. I thought we were going until I heard that New York City was a hot spot for COVID-19. We did not want to risk anything, especially if we were going to encounter a virus that was completely unknown to us, so we cancelled the trip, but the airline still gave us the tickets to fly anytime between then and the end of 2022. After that, spring break came, and it was announced that the university was closed after spring break and we would have to go completely online. I live with my girlfriend since I first came to the U.S., so I stayed with her at her home that is two hours from the university we are enrolled in. We finished the rest of the semester there at her home. We then stayed for another month there and while we were in complete isolation we took advantage of that to go running together to be healthy, we did not let ourselves get bored, we were always doing something, we would do zoom video calls with our friends, watch movies, play video games, etc. After that we came back to Stevens Point to work on campus for the summer (with the required restrictions) so we could make some money to pay for our tuition. Though this is considered by many one of the worst years they’ve lived in, I had the most fun summer since I first came to the U.S – me, my girlfriend, and our friends had a blast; we hung out almost every day, we went to isolated beaches and went on boat rides, we had bonfires, we partied amongst ourselves, we went hiking, we went biking, we played soccer, etc. When the summer was over, we went back to classes and I got also got interested in learning new languages, so I downloaded the app called Duolingo to learn Portuguese and practice some other languages. Since Spanish and Portuguese are so similar, I am quickly picking up the language. I started my junior year in college, and I could not be happier with the classes I picked. My girlfriend and I thought that since we have classes online and more time at home, it would be the perfect time to get a dog, so we adopted a Doxiepoo, the combination of a Dachshund and a miniature poodle. She is 4 months and we have had a lot of time to train her and we couldn’t be happier with her. Everyone has their ways of coping, and with this ongoing journey through a global pandemic, I have learned that my way of coping is not only adjusting to the situation but also taking advantage of the variety of opportunities that arrive and make the best out of it. This pandemic has taught me in a way that just because we are adjusting, we should not stop living in the moment and while I understand that for some people this pandemic might be harder, it is up to us to either make it a living hell or make it one of the most memorable experiences of our life. -
2020-09-20
Radika Barot Oral History, 2020/09/20
It is the experience the average high school senior had during the Corona Virus Pandemic recorded on voice memo by interviewer. -
2020-06-12
Fur Friend to the Rescue
2020 has not been the best year... for anyone probably. Wildfires, pandemic, riots, protests, poor economy, all things that bring stress to people. People handle and deal with stress in different ways; some turn to their pets. Your pet doesn't know anything about what's going on with the world, they just know you are their human and they love you. They are always willing and excited to give you a cuddle and be near you. Every day you come home, they are super excited to see you, and sometimes, that can make a terrible day so much better. This is a photo of Maya the Papaya, aka Jellybean! She is my moms dog and is the super cuddly-est dog and is always so. super. excited. to be near you! -
2020-05-05
Quarantine ferrets
For the longest time, I had been wanting ferrets. I had talked about them all the time, not only at home to my mom but also to my friends at school as well. My mom finally gave in and we had planned to drive out to a place for me to adopt two ferrets. But when COVID struck, my mom pushed it off and said we'd have to wait. Eventually, I found someone selling their ferret on craigslist. He was the cutest thing and I named him Bean. I loved him more than anything and would spend all my free time either playing with him or napping with him. I knew I needed to get him a friend since they are very social animals. So I did just that about a month and a half later my dad and I went to get Bean a friend. We got a little shy fella, and I named him Turtle, soon enough he opened up and was very playful and frisky. They kept me busy during quarantine and made my life a whole lot more fun. But then three months after I got Bean I noticed his energy decreasing. He wasn’t playing that much and was sleeping more than normal. He seemed very weak and even when he seemed like he wanted to play he couldn’t. I was very worried about him and knew something was wrong. We took him to the vet and found out he had leukemia. This was heartbreaking because I assumed we had years together. But he was getting weaker by the hour as his bone marrow stopped creating red blood cells. This was the most heartbreaking day of my life as my first real pet, my first baby, was dying. Turtle and I went to say goodbye. And even though everything seemed to be going downhill, when one door closed another one opened. The vet said he had a ferret that he didn’t have time for and who he was looking to re-home. Even though another ferret could never take the place of Bean but I knew Turtle would need a friend as a few days later I could already tell he was getting lonely and with school approaching I wouldn’t have as much time to be his playmate. A week after Bean was put down we took in the ferret, I renamed him Astro. These ferrets have done much more than keep me busy during quarantine, they have kept me sane. Bean: March 27th-June 27th, 2020 Turtle: May 5th, 2020 Astro: July 2nd, 2020 -
2020-09-02
Proper way to wear a mask
Humor has become so important to our everyday lives. If the mainstream media were to be believed, it would be all doom and gloom. Sometimes, a laugh is just what the doctor ordered. Wearing a mask as one goes about their daily routine is a new concept for many, especially children, who might not really understand the reasons why and might be afraid. This particular photo of a German Shepherd demonstrating the proper way to wear a mask is both funny and helps make wearing a mask seem not so scary for children.