Living under quarantine isn't easy, but finding new friendships is encouraging and rejuvenating. In June of 2020, a boy and his puppy met for the first time over Zoom. And the rest is a story for any age.
This June, Joshua Koch spent his 11th birthday indoors under a stage 1 level of quarantine; he hadn’t seen his friends in months. But that afternoon Josh and his family logged on to Zoom to see a friend’s litter of black Labrador puppies for the first time. On the other side of his screen, Josh saw seven little puppies playing and stumbling over each other. In the midst of play, a light blue-collared pup came closer to the screen leaving his brothers and sisters behind. He had soft brown eyes and a wagging tail. Josh leaned toward the screen and said, “That’s him! That’s exactly how I pictured he’d be!” One month later, Josh sat in the grass and held his puppy for the first time.
Josh named his puppy Storm. In preparation for Storm’s homecoming, Josh cleaned his room and outfitted a new puppy bed with soft blankets and toys. That first night home with Storm, Josh set a sleeping bag next to the puppy’s bed and comforted him throughout the night. When the sun came up in the morning both boy and dog were fast asleep under one blanket.
Over the next few weeks, Storm grew into his new family. He met the cat. He explored the back yard. He slid after toys on the hardwood floor...
...and then one day, just like that, Storm became Josh’s lifeline.
Josh suffers from ADHD-related anxiety which causes him to break down into fits of uncontrollable crying, anger, and isolation. As of April 2020, it is estimated that nearly 6.1 million children in the United States have demonstrated some form of ADHD. For more information on these and other statistics, click here.
Kids like Josh can be assisted both in and outside of school through various education programs, therapy, or medication management. For our family, we thought it was best to make use of all of these resources - and to add a loving animal for additional support in hard times.
As a constant companion, Storm is able to sense Josh’s growing turmoil and to nuzzle and play at just the right times. Boy and dog are now an inseparable pair. Josh and Storm. Storm and Josh. Wherever one goes, the other follows. Maybe they play fetch with an old baseball. Maybe they beat the summer heat by running through a sprinkler. Or maybe they just sit together and share a growing, quiet bond.
“Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras
This past year has placed many of us into a COVID-19 quarantine. We’ve practiced social distancing as it quietly sets relationships with friends and family behind a scrim. But there are silver linings. We’ve cultivated digital communities that unite us as we stay apart... and from this, we've seen new relationships thrive.
The pandemic will come to an end. But for now, stepping into a Zoom meeting may just lead to an unconditional friendship that lasts a lifetime.
Credits:
Created with images by Guillaume de Germain - "untitled image" • Renee Fisher - "#LoveWall in Manhattan, NY" • Anshu A - "untitled image"