Man's Best Friend Provides a Silver-Lining During the Global Pandemic

As millions of people across the world are under various forms of lockdowns due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the power of companionship offered by a pet is apparent now more than ever. 

Lauren Cleveland, a Saint Louis University freshman has returned home to Mokena, Illinois where she is quarantined with her dad and grandmother. Cleveland spent her spring break in New York City with her older brother, just as the virus was beginning to hit NYC hard. In an effort to reduce contact with her grandmother, Lauren is spending as much time as possible self-isolating in her bedroom. Although she uses texting, social media, and virtual chats to communicate with others, the physical connection with others is something she misses most. Like most others, she is realizing just how important Dola, her dog, is to her. 

“Of course I’ve always loved Dola, but now that I spend pretty much every day in my room it’s so nice to have her with me. I feel less alone because it’s starting to get hard without being able to see my friends or go anywhere.”

Having a dog also gives Lauren a reason to wake up early and be productive, instead of sleeping in and not doing much other than schoolwork and working out, which she says she would most likely be doing. “I wake up to let her out and feed her, and she gets me to get out of the house on walks more than I would have. I feel so lucky to have Dola with me right now when everything else is so uncertain, and we don’t know what the next day will bring.” 

However, there is much more to their bond than a regular owner/dog. Getting Dola was a major step for Lauren in a healing process spanning over ten years. 

Cleveland was only two years old when she tried to pet her uncle’s English Mastiff while it was eating, and although the dog was comfortable around her previously it reacted instinctively and bit the toddler in the face. The little girl was immediately rushed to the hospital and got 100 internal and 100 external stitches, all around her left eye. 

From then on she was uneasy around larger dogs and filled with panic whenever a dog tried to jump in her face. This all changed with Dola, who Lauren rescued from a shelter two years ago. She had been trying to feel better around dogs for years, but knew in the back of her mind that the only way to truly do this would be by getting a dog herself. 

Dola takes a nap in Lauren's room during the stay-at-home order.

“The initial part of having Dola was hard because obviously she was a puppy so with teething and everything like that she was biting alot but me going through and training her and making sure that she stopped doing all of that stuff was kind of a big step for me because then I knew that I could trust this dog.”

Dola has helped Lauren get over her uneasiness around dogs, and continues to help her through this unprecedented time, showing just how strong a bond with a dog can really be. Man’s best friend has proven herself once again, and for that Lauren is forever grateful.