could dogs be transferring the virus?

I’m not doing anymore than I already do and have done right from the start, I certainly won’t be washing my dog or my cats for that matter, or throwing my coat straight into the washing machine when come in, I’m not living my life in constant fear, wear my mask, wash my hands countless times, keep my distance from people end off

As we are to be returning to a more normal life in the next few weeks as things open up again it does sound concerning that people even worry when out on a walk in the fresh air
I want to return to all the normal things like hotels eating out and shopping for pleasure (which will be better when we get rid of the masks)
Are people going to be stuck at home terrified We have been vaccinated

I shall go on stroking any friendly mutts - I wash my hands when I get home anyway. Meeting a friendly mutt really livens up the daily walk - it can get a bit boring.

Rather more likely IMO to catch Covid from the joggers around here, of whom approx 49 out of 50 make not the slightest effort to distance themselves - in their all-consuming self obsession they carry on in a dead straight line and expect everyone else to get out of their way. Often they’ve come up behind me before I’ve heard, let alone seen them, puffing and panting a whisker from my face.

A friend's puppy jumped up and licked my face this morning. (He was told off!) Am I bothered? No, I can't go round living on a volcano worrying about every little thing.

I can honestly say I have no worries at all about my dog being a transmission source. If it’s safe for young children to go back to school it’s safer to take your dog a walk. Once you’re vaccinated it’s not an issue anyway.

I don't think we need to worry about dogs and transmission. The poor things have had a bad year with not as much fuss being made of them as it is.

I have no problem with Sago's remark.

Statements like that just add fuel to the fire for the anti-dog brigade, and there seems to far too many of them on here already!

Bear in mind, if dogs, or any other animal were seen as being a vector in spreading any dangerous disease, the government would soon introduce a culling programme. That is what happens when foot and mouth disease and various other diseases affect farm animals and poultry.

Sago's comment was statement of fact, not fuel for any fire.

A couple of years back, while walking a footpath in our village I was attacked by 2 bulldog type dogs that were clearly beyond the owners control. They had leads on, but they were in charge, the owner had to follow where they led as they were too strong for her.

I was 'fortunate' they were muzzled and I got away with a badly bruised arm caused by one dog when it cannoned into that arm. Had they not been muzzled I would have been badly mauled. Stupidly, I neither saw a doctor nor photographed my injuries.

Over the years, I have seen many good dog owners and enjoyed the company of their dogs, but I have seen too many families taking on dogs that are too big for their space or resources and when the dogs misbehave and become uncontrollable because of that, they end up being put down because no one wants to adopt a full grown poorly trained dog.

I have only been attacked by dogs once but I have suffered being in a house with uncontrolled dogs that frightened my children and threatened me.

We have a member who washes her dogs feet after a walk. Now that really is over the top, and very strange.

In theory a dog or cat could be a carrier I’m sure, so if you have prolonged close contact with your pet keep him away from other pets. If you dry groom him wear a mask, wash your hands after and the risk will be minimal.

I’m actually tempted to do that especially when I see cyclists and joggers spitting in areas where we walk our dog. I don’t do it because I’m too lazy to be honest but it does worry me. I also get annoyed with people that don’t control their dogs as the last thing I want to do at the moment is have to take my dog to the vets or myself to A&E.

Nope

I'm sick of all these scares and take no notice of any of the new warnings that come out.

Initially people were told that the virus could live on various smooth and hard surfaces for quite a long time, and people got really panicky about washing their food deliveries, post coming through the door, etc, etc.

Yesterday, I heard someone on the TV saying that they now believe it would be very unusual for someone to contract the virus from touching a contaminated surface.

I'm certainly not going to get neurotic about my dog or anybody else's dog.

Eleothan, out of interest we recently watched Contagion (about a lethal pandemic in case anyone doesn’t know) and a big thing was made in that film of the virus being spread by people touching surfaces.

Given that we were pretty much in uncharted waters at the beginning of this thing. presumably it was thought to be better on the safe side. We went through an early stage of even immersing all fruit and veg in a solution of Milton, but haven’t done that for ages now.

I seem to remember reading recently that Matt Hancock was influenced by that film.

Witzend there is a real vogue at the moment for wiping surfaces testing them for germs and then making press releases.

TV cleaning programmes do it and I have seen newspaper reports highlighting that all sorts of surfaces: kettle handles, bannisters etc etc have more dangerous pathogens on them than loo seats.

I am sure that sort of febrile obsession also fed into the fear of picking up COVID from surfaces.

Another reason for wearing gloves during the pandemic is that the constant handwashing and rubbing alcohol based sanitiser on your hands, plays merry hell with many people's skin. Certainly mine quickly became dry and uncomfortable, and then started to get red and cracked, so I took to wearing gloves when out; less handwashing and I would generously slaver sanitiser all over my gloves in a way I wouldn't on my bare skin.

I’ve just spoken to someone who was shielding for a year but caught covid at Christmas. She said the only way she could have caught it was via her Tesco’s delivery as she is immune suppressed and has been very thorough about everything. Thankfully although she was quite poorly with it she could have been a lot worse. It is the uncertainty that is a worry.

I have never caught anything from my dogs or cats in all the years I've owned them. Please don't give weight to this scaremongering else we'll have more abandoned pets

Sago I lost my beloved Poppy 6 weeks ago and the saying
The more people I meet the more I love my dog
has never been so true.

People are catching it from other people. Read last week that handwashing is not that effective at control as it's mainly spread by airborne particles. Which could linger for hours. So I really wouldn't worry about the dogs.

I believe Sago`s remark was tongue and cheek.

Sorry to hear about your dog glammanana it's so hard isn't it. I think that because of the pandemic etc we were with our pets 24/7 and they were a comfort.

MaizieD

The virus is rarely spread by touching infected surfaces. It is airborne and is predominately spread through breathing in infected droplets or aerosols. All the handwashing and sanitising is laudable and undoubtably hygenic, but the obsessive sanitising of every surface in sight is a step too far. It's most unlikely that enough of the virus could exist on a surface to cause infection.
I have a link to an article about this somewhere on my laptop. I'll post it later.

Just keep wearing a mask and don't walk behind anyone (i.e in the path of their aerosols) especially if they're coughing.

Absolutely. Totally agree with this Maizie.

Daisymae

People are catching it from other people. Read last week that handwashing is not that effective at control as it's mainly spread by airborne particles. Which could linger for hours. So I really wouldn't worry about the dogs.

Daisymae
Again absolutely. We don’t have a dog, or a cat any longer ? but I’ve never heard such nonsense as I sometimes hear on Gransnet. Covid19 is an airborne disease. People catch it by breathing in infected particles. I’ve been sceptical about all the hand washing and sanitising for a while. I believed it at first, I was a bit paranoid about catching it. Well I caught it, from being with an infected person, note, not a dog, and he caught it from being with an infected person, my mother (support bubble) and she caught it in hospital after being admitted after a fall. We all caught it from other people, not dogs, or from touching things in the supermarket, or from the post, or from any of the other ridiculous places people think they can catch it from.
You catch Covid from other people.

And I’ve never taken off my clothes and washed them just because I’ve been out. I wash my hands when I come in, that’s all.

Katie59

In theory a dog or cat could be a carrier I’m sure, so if you have prolonged close contact with your pet keep him away from other pets. If you dry groom him wear a mask, wash your hands after and the risk will be minimal.

Katie59. That is ridiculous. I shall continue to receive sloppy kisses from my lovely old dog who isn’t at all well.

There are lots of people who do not like dogs for whatever reason, probably because they never grew up with a pet and a lot of them are on here.