EVERY time 26-year-old seafarer Kim Carpio leaves his hometown to go aboard, he finds it difficult to look at the sad face of his dog Hatchi as he bids him goodbye. 

“I always feel guilty everytime I call Hatchi and say ‘Daddy will go back to work,’ because I think he’s feeling sad because I can see his eyes are teary,” said Carpio.

Carpio said that when he has to return to work, he sometimes leaves home when his dog will not be aware of his departure or will not see him ride his motorcycle.  This is because Hatchi refuses to eat and interact with other people every time he sees him leaving through the gate.

I think my dog feels he’s alone when he’s not seeing me or when witnessing me leaving our house because Hatchi grew up with me, and he is not used to his caretakers leaving. That’s why we don’t let him know when I am leaving”

Kim Carpio

He also said that he sometimes feels anxious about leaving his pet alone because he has invested “so much” in him and he considers him his child. 

But he can do something to lessen his dog’s loneliness.

The power of touch

According to a study published by the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, petting your dog before leaving for work is an effective move to reduce its loneliness when you leave.

The current study sought to determine whether petting dogs prior to the owner’s departure altered their behavior and physiological responses to being separated from the owner.

It found that dogs’ levels of stress can be reduced by human physical touch, as determined by endocrine, physiological, and behavioral indicators, including petting and spending time before leaving. It has been discovered that providing dogs with gentle touch during or after a stressful incident is also beneficial, it said. 

The researchers studied 10 dogs between one and 11 years old. Each of the 10 dogs was tested twice. 

The first test was the Non-GentleTouch (NGT) Test, where researchers studied the behavior of dogs whom their owners did not pet before leaving. The second was the With Gentle Touch (WGT) Test, where researchers tested the dogs after their owners petted them.

Based on the findings, comparing the heart rate before and after the NGT test revealed no differences. However, the heart rate after the WGT test showed a significant drop, meaning dogs that were petted before their owners left were calmer than those who were not.

But it said that despite the positive impact of petting the dog before its separation from the owner, further studies have to be conducted in order to identify the thorough effectiveness of this act on a dog with separation anxiety.

The dog promise

For his part, Carpio said one thing that he does when he can no longer bear his “dog’s drama” is that he frequently talks to him and promises that he will come back soon. He also brings home one of Hatchi’s favorite food: fried chicken. 

I think it’s effective when I talk to him and tell him that I will just go outside to buy him fried chicken just to comfort him. It’s because I see the excitement, and he’s not looking that pitiful when I leave.”

Kim Carpio

Dogs are indeed a man’s best friend. That’s why dog owners should make it a habit to treat their dogs to buddy time regardless of their busy schedules in order to make them feel calmer and less anxious. 

And for the owners, spending time with their dogs is also beneficial, so it’s a win-win situation.

What are you waiting for? Go rub your fur baby’s tummy and let the buddy time begin.