The Covid Chronicles- Dogenburg (Gothenburg, Sweden)

The incredible Anna from Dogenburg gives us an insight into what has been happening in Sweden since the Coronovirus hit the country.

My name is Anna and I am the human behind the dog friendly guide of Gothenburg called Dogenburg. Up until two months ago I shared my life with the fantastic mix breed Cosmos. He was a mix of Dachshund, Beagle and Basset and when he passed he was nine years old. I miss him terribly but he was sick and I am happy that he’s not in pain anymore. Also Cosmos little sister will move in with me shortly after I write this.

I live in Gothenburg, Sweden where I was born and raised. We are not in lockdown here in Sweden but there are alot of restrictions because of Covid-19. Sweden has been critizised for not going in lockdown by other countries but I am convinced that my government is acting in a secure and correct way. We have restricitions like how many people can gather etc. Also university and gymnasial studies are being held online. Schools for kids under 16 years old are still open ”as usual”. The sad thing about this is that some people, in all ages that is, don’t follow the restrictions and guidelines from our public health authority. 

My main occupation is that I study at University of Gothenburg but I also work as a receptionist at a animal hospital. At work we have taken lots of precautions to keep both customers and coworkers safe. Ofcourse my employer is affected by this pandemic but we seem to keep afloat at the moment.

Apart from not wanting to go to the gym and studying online I don’t feel like I am much affected by this in my day to day routines. At least not in ways I can’t cope with. When I hear people in Sweden complain about the restrictions we have here I get a bit upset since it tells us how priviliged we are. To not go out as much amongst people isn’t really a big sacrifice to make if you think about it. 

I think alot of dogs in Sweden are happy about their situations with owners working from home and more/longer walks at the moment. Although I heard from a customer at work that her cat was exhausted from having her owner at home all day because she wanted to keep an eye on her owner all the time and had no time to sleep haha.

My three tips to keep a dog engaged:

1. Use your recycling to hide your dogs meals in. More for you to clean but also more fun for your dog!
2. Take the time to get your dog used to clipping nails, brushing teeth, shower etc. For a dog to get used to something like this takes alot of short sessions often. Which is easy if you’re at home during the days. It’s good for you to have short brakes from studying/working as well.
3. Let them nap! If your dog is used to being alone a few hours each day they probably sleep (deeply) during those hours and probably need that now aswell.

I miss being able to do stuff without having to think about risks but I am also confident that this will calm down rather soon if we all just do as we are told.

See you all soon on the other side of this!