cancel plans to stay home with pets

Now that socializing is almost back in full force, you know what’s going to happen to a lot of us? We’ll make a plan with a friend, thinking hey, we can hug again, eat in a restaurant, all of that… but then, when the day comes, we’ll take a long look at our dog or cat, get all emotional (in a good way) about leaving, and… call it off.

Pets vs. friends – we know our priorities

When the choice is between socializing with friends and being home with our pets, a lot of us choose the wags and purrs. This isn’t just a hunch or an observation – our friends at Wisdom Panel™ surveyed pet owners and found that “the bond with pets is so strong” that 72% of dog owners and 32% of cat owners “admit they’ve canceled plans to spend time with their pets.”

Sound familiar? Of course. Sound reasonable? Absolutely :)

Even before COVID-19 made social gatherings a no-no, our furry BFFs made it difficult to leave the house. Because really, why leave when you’ve got so much love at home?

Top excuses for ditching plans and staying home with pets

If you’re going to change or cancel a plan, you’re going to need a reason. The survey didn’t ask people to list their favorite excuses, but here are five that you’re more than welcome to try:

• “LuLu is sleeping by the front door and I don’t want to wake her up.”
• “Turns out, Sweet Bear’s still in a major ‘fetch’ mood, so… maybe next weekend, instead?”
• “I’m so sorry, I just realized Tiger is out of treats. Yeah, my bad – I need to go the store.”
• “We just finished making a hidden treat snuffle mat for Smooch, and now he wants to play.”
• “Could we meet up later? Rushmore and Teton really don’t want me to leave, I can just tell.”

If you’re in a creative mood, you could make something up that has nothing to do with your BFF, but honesty is the best policy. Your friends will understand. They might even be secretly happy – a change in plans means they get to stay home with their furball, too.