We are no longer being asked to shelter in place all day, and that, to me, is something of a liberation.

I do understand this Pandemic is not over and could resurge and perhaps will for up to a year or until a vaccine comes. But I like going out once or twice a day to resume my role as Hunter-Gatherer and Quartermaster.

We have enough toilet paper for a while and today I scored a box of 18 facial tissues.

I’m still listening to Governor Cuomo, the President has no credibility with me any longer on this subject. He just seems to blather and fume and his tweets have gone from the realm of the obnoxious to the realm of the emotionally disturbed.

I wonder if anyone is even trying to get him to stop.

The dogs – Maria calls them my Fan Club – have been an integral part of my experience as an OMAR, an old man at risk. I’ve survived the first round and my intension is to get through the next few.

The dogs have grounded and uplifted me every step of the way. I sometimes think they gather and plot how to cheer me and Maria up. Dogs have been helping humans for thousands of years, their work now seems to be tending to our emotional needs.

Whenever I look up, Zinnia is lying next to me, Fate and Bud are cheering me on. My walks with Zinnia have been a powerful source of meditation and peace.

I’ve got a half-dozen good masks and a bunch of sanitizers. I even found good sources of tissues, towel paper, and toilet paper. I’m ready for the long haul.

The dogs have been enthusiastic about walks and visits and treats, Zinnia is a stream of affection and fun, and Bud is never happier than when hopping up onto my lap to have his neck scratched.

Fate and Maria prowl the woods in search of interesting fauna, videos, and photos. Hers are increasingly popular.

I am grateful to these dogs for Sheltering In Place with me, they made a difficult time much more tolerable and manageable.

I’m hearing from all of my friends and sources in the animal world that people are cleaning out the shelters for dogs to keep them company during the Pandemic and its ups and downs.d

At one shelter nearby 20 mostly young and some adult Pit Bulls have been adopted since the Pandemic began.

I gather they make wonderful pets, but I hope their owners will take training seriously and understand they will be big and powerful dogs in just a month or so.

I think of Lab puppies, so cute and appealing, people often go into shock when they become big and active and clumsy creatures. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, just like the Pandemic.

Lots of Labs are returned to shelters and breeders because people never quite imagined what they would grow up to be.

People have long exploited dogs to make them feel better about their own lives. I hope their lifestyles support the dogs they are adopting.

Dogs have made a huge difference to people like me during the Pandemic Stewardship is about the long haul. We will owe them when the seas calm.

They will need us as we needed them when the emergency recedes and people are busier and safer.