Stayin’ alive!

Even in the doggy world it is impossible to escape the fact that the world is facing a pandemic in proportions that have not been seen in a lifetime! I mean, you can’t open up PoochTome or look at Instapound without some mention of COVID-19. Fortunately, I can’t get it. It seems that doggies can’t catch it, which is good, but it still affects us in other ways. I’ve been doing a bit of research on this whole Coronavirus and COVID-19 thing. (Well, there isn’t much else to do at the moment, but we’ll come to that!) Someone with a common cold would actually have Coronavirus, it appears. So, what’s so bad about this? Well, apparently, it’s the strain or the particular version of Coronavirus that is so bad – and that’s called COVID-19. There is no cure for COVID-19 but then there is no cure for any virus, so that’s no surprise. A vaccine can be created to prevent people from getting a virus but, at this stage, none exists for COVID-19 and there isn’t likely to be one for at least a year. There might be a vaccine ready for test soon but that’s it.

Therein lies the problem – like most viruses it is highly contagious and can be passed on through close contact with others. Like most viruses the immune system will develop immunity to it if one gets it … for most people. BUT for some more vulnerable people, particularly those slightly older and those with other medical conditions, it can be deadly. And that’s the real problem. People all over the world are catching it, and then passing it on to others, some of whom will not survive. Worldometers is a website that gives live updates on all sorts of things like world population and births and deaths and all sorts of other things and, right now is giving live updates on COVID-19 around the world and also by country. (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries) Today there are 683,694 cases of COVID-19 recorded globally. Already 32,155 people have died. It is probably no real surprise, not even in the doggy world, that the United States of America has the highest number of cases with 123,828 – that’s 18% of all cases globally. Unfortunately, they have a President (thank goodness we don’t have all that rubbish in the doggy world!) who is basically mentally unhinged.

I had a quick Doogle for things the Orange Slug has said in recent weeks about it. “Nobody knew there would be a pandemic or epidemic of this proportion“, he said. Apparently though, they did. The National Security Council produced a 69 page guide on how to fight a pandemic of this proportion but the Orange Slug threw it on the shelf. In February, the Orange Slug said the virus could “maybe go away. We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows.” He predicted it is “going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.” Now, I acknowledge that I’m not an expert in these matters but even I know that’s not going to happen! He said more recently “I’ve always known this is a real – this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. I’ve always viewed it as very serious“. Clearly, his view has changed in the last few weeks. Shockingly, with the USA having the highest number of cases in the world and with an unbelievably poor response from the US administration (largely because the Orange Slug thinks it is “Fake news“) the worst thing he has said about it at all was when he was challenged about the fact that he denied that it existed and called it a “hoax” was that he said “I take absolutely no responsibility whatsoever, this is the fault of the Obama administration.” Apparently he blames the Obama administration for their decision on testing during the Swine Flu epidemic. He seems to have failed to notice that in the first month of the H1N1 epidemic 1 million people were tested in America. With the first case in America confirmed in January, the current administration has yet to reach 50,000 people tested! I’m glad I’m not American!

So, in the space of just a few short weeks the world has changed. COVID-19 has changed everyone’s lives. Many countries around the world have introduced measures to try and stop the spread of the virus. Here in the United Kingdom we are in a virtual lockdown. He says it should have happened sooner and that Beano Boris was too slow to respond but it has certainly happened now! Everybody as to stay at home and only go out if absolutely necessary. Humans over a certain age and those considered vulnerable are not allowed to leave their homes for 3 months (3 whole months!!!!). Humans are allowed to go out to buy food or medicines but as infrequently as possible. The only good thing is that dogs can still be walked. Actually, Uncle Tony and Auntie Rosemary (I haven’t seen them for ages and ages!) sent me the photo here of a French doggy. He looks a little like my friend Charlie but I don’t think it’s him. You can probably get the gist from the photo but basically since dog walking is OK but you are only supposed to do it once per day for each person in the household, this doggy has rather enterprisingly set himself up with a stall where people can buy a walk with him! I have often said how much more intelligent we are in the doggy world!

It is interesting too how different humans have different approaches to the challenges this new life brings. Some incredibly selfish and stupid humans have been panic buying and taking valuable resources away from those who really need them. Loo rolls have sold out in many shops – this is a flu like disease, not diarrhoea!!! The supermarket shelves are empty of rice and pasta and tinned foods. You cannot get flour (particularly bread flour) for love nor money. Who are all these people who have suddenly become bakers? If they didn’t bake before they are going to be turning out some lousy bread!!!! It really is selfish and unthinking. People have taken to wearing face masks too, despite the medical advice that they won’t help. Every member of the public wearing a face mask is taking a mask away from where they are most needed – in hospitals for medical staff. If people heed the 2m ‘social distancing’ advice and are careful about what they do there is no need for them to where face masks. He saw a young chap in the queue for the supermarket yesterday (yes, it takes a good half an hour to queue to get into the supermarket) wearing a face mask and then, every now and again, lifting it to talk into his mobile phone. Selfish idiot!! He wanted to say something but decided against it since confrontation is being strongly discouraged at the moment.

On the other hand people are doing some very good things. There are WhatsApp (similar to WhatsYap but inferior, of course) groups being setup all around the village with those able to go out offering to get shopping and medicines etc. for those that can’t. Auntie Louise from Café Connect is coordinating donations, offers of help and other good things for people who don’t use WhatsApp. Nextdoor Godstone – a kind of emaily thing where mostly people advertise their businesses or try to sell things that nobody wants to buy or ask for services for free (we have no equivalent in the doggy world, thank goodness!) has now found a useful purpose and people are offering help on there too. Those who can are working from home – unfortunately most of his and Daddy Richard’s clients have had to close their businesses so they don’t have any either but they’re not nearly as badly off as some! I just asked him to see if he can find a supermarket slot for home delivery since that is what we are advised to do now. He tried Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda in every branch within 15 miles of home and there was not one delivery slot available in the next month! It’s a good job they can go out!!!!

I don’t usually do a lot of Twattering but I did have a quick look on there earlier and saw a bit of a spat going on between two people. One had clearly been buying up toilet rolls and couldn’t see what is wrong with that (other than being selfish and stupid, I guess!|) and the other was trying to suggest that it was inconsiderate. In the end the person buying them said “I don’t see what it has to do with you!” To which I thought the response was perfect, “If you need 144 toilet rolls for a 14 day quarantine, you should have been seeing a doctor long before COVID-19!” Even my world has been completely changed by COVID-19. It’s the only thing anyone talks about, I don’t get to see my Aunties and Uncles, I don’t get to see my friends. I haven’t seen Grandma in weeks! If we’re out walking we have to avoid other people instead of stopping and chatting. He is even ordering my treats online! I had my training this morning with Martin the Monty trainer and that was a first … done by FaceTime! It is the first time I have been taught anything by flamin’ video link!! Actually, it was quite fun. A little bracing when it snowed but I got even more treats than usual, so that was good. Oh an he was outside with no hat and scarf in that freezing wind, so that was fun too!

Actually, talking of fun, I was just looking for something to lighten the mood. This is what I found … A friend of mine has a dog that just loves to dig. Whenever it gets a chance to dig up plants or dig up bones it couldn’t be happier. It’s a Staffordshire Terrier and is a real rough and tumble sort of dog. Their next door neighbour’s dog is the exact opposite. They have a beautifully groomed poodle. A white, fluffy one which they like to put a bow around its neck. One day after work my friend came home to find their neighbour’s poodle dead on the lawn. Their staffie had dug under the fence and killed the poodle and dragged it into their backyard. The poodle’s white coat was filthy and the bow torn right off. She didn’t know what to do so in a panic her and her boyfriend decided they would clean up the poodle and put it back in their neighbour’s garden as if it had died of natural causes. They washed the poodle in their bath and blowed dried its coat. They even cleaned up and put back the bow around its neck. They curled the poodle up in a sleeping position on their neighbour’s patio. Apparently the neighbours nearly had a heart attack when they found their poodle on the patio that night because it had died a few days earlier and they’d buried it in their garden! Right, walk number two of two calls me. I must go and not see anyone! To everyone out there, wherever you are, whichever country or town, whether we’ve met or are just ‘virtual friends’, stay safe and look after yourselves and each other. I’m off for a quiet walk so, for now, must paws … ?