Some dogs need company so badly that the company does not have to be alive.
Dino’s separation anxiety was intense enough that his person, Yaneth, could barely leave the house. Then she saw another dog find comfort in a human-sized doll and decided to test the theory on her own dog. She brought home one of those life-size figures people usually buy as a joke, and left Dino with him.
His name is Haaland. He does not eat. He does not need a walk. He has not blinked since he arrived, and Dino has apparently decided this is fine. The Dodo’s editor Valentina calls Haaland the world’s creepiest petsitter, which is generous to the doll and rude to nobody.
Dogs accept a substitute faster than we do. Dino has somebody to lean against while the door closes, and Yaneth gets to leave without the dread in her stomach. My own dog would have barked at the thing for a week and then used it as a headrest.
Haaland has no qualifications and exactly one expression. He is still the most reliable sitter Dino has had.
If your dog is the anxious kind, the calming products guide covers what has evidence behind it and what is mostly packaging. A mannequin is not on the list, but the reasoning holds: comfort in the room beats an empty room.
Video by The Dodo. Dino and Haaland belong to Yaneth.