Dogs Take A Field Trip To A Seal Sanctuary To Cheer Them Up During Lockdown

I don’t know about you, but there is something about getting a visit from a dog that just seems to cheer me up instantly. It is always true of my own dog, but it is also true of others who may happen to wander by.

Although I always welcomed the visit of a canine, it is even more important now that we are on lockdown. It seems as if humans aren’t the only ones who feel this way, and the staff at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, near Cornwall, say that the seals are missing people. After all, there are typically 100,000 people who come to the center every year!

Now that the coronavirus pandemic is here, the seal sanctuary was closed. The animals have been isolated and they are getting lonely.

In order to help keep the seals engaged, staff members have been bringing their own dogs to work with them. It seems as if it is working beautifully!

A spokesman from the sanctuary has been sharing some adorable snapshots of the visits. It seems as if the seals are absolutely loving it.

They wrote: “With the Sanctuary having no guests walking around, our animals have definitely noticed the difference.”

Photo: Cornish Seal Sanctuary

They continued:

“The team have been working around the clock to provide lots of extra enrichment and fun for the animals to keep them healthy, happy and entertained

With ideas running out, our team decided to bring their dogs in to say hello to the seals and to remind them of what it is like when the Sanctuary is open.

The animals were very intrigued to see dogs again on site and enjoyed interacting with them.”

It isn’t just the friendly visit from the dogs that have made a difference. Staff has also been using music to help pick up their spirits.

The spokesperson added: “The team has also been playing music over the speaker system to help to keep the residents calm and happy.”

Photo: Cornish Seal Sanctuary

“This follows research conducted at the Sanctuary by student Mati Skerrit, in 2017. She found that playing classical music to our California sea lions decreased anxious behaviors and increased time spent playing and swimming,” they continued.

Even though they are seeing some benefits, they still struggle to make ends meet. Lockdown has been lifted in some areas but it still isn’t completely over.

The staff started a fundraising page and is looking for enough to help them cover the £23,000 in monthly expenses.

The center said:

“With the Sanctuary still being closed, and with no certain opening date, we are struggling without the vital revenue from our guests.

We are now entering our third month without guests, and need your support more than ever.”

You can visit their Just Giving page to lend a hand.