Can I walk my dog?

[nolovelost]

Conflicting advice and stuggling to use my brain. Following advice from a doctor on 111 we're all self isolating for 14 days. Family member had a high temp yesterday and was told possible virus. Can I walk my dog or have I got to stay inside?

You have to stay inside.
Either the dog also stays inside or you get a friend to do walks.
You need to work out a way to keep the virus off the dogs fur.

You have to stay inside. Properly,actually,inside.

You'll need to find someone to take the dog for a couple of weeks or walk him/her. It's a bit of faffing about to sort the dog out,so if a friend is happy to take it for a couple of weeks that would be better.

Is Matt Hancock saying this situation applies to me?

The guidance on the gov website is clear - why not look there rather than starting a MN thread hoping for a different answer?

If you're self isolating, someone else must walk your dog. Going outside with symptoms is irresponsible

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-people-with-animals

If you read my thread you'll see that I'm struggling with the conflicting dvice. Don't be an arse, these are worrying times, you don't need to add to that. Where did I say that I have symtoms?

You need to stay inside. If someone can come walk the dog for you that is ok, but you need to work out a no contact handover. We clipped the dog to a lead in the back garden and left the side gate open. Walker brought their own lead etc and used hand sanitiser after transferring the clip. The dog can potentially have virus on their coat so no stroking for the walker.
I do think the language used around this is confusing - older people with no symptoms were initially 'self isolating' which is now no different to what everyone is being asked to do in lockdown, now if you are extra vulnerable you have to 'shield'. It would be much clearer to say if you or a family member have symptoms you are in quarantine - stay indoors, no contact with others at all, essential supplies dropped off.

Thank you very much for all the advice.

I'm struggling with the conflicting advice. Don't be an arse, these are worrying times, you don't need to add to that.

Which is exactly why I linked through to reputable gov advice for you, and in response you've chosen to slag me off for answering your question and sharing a screenshot and link to clear advice

It seems you have no problem with adding to other people's worries and being needlessly unpleasant @nolovelost

When I had to self isolate I left the dog's lead outside, my Mum opened the door to let him out then shoved him back in again although when I was really ill (not Covoid-19) she kept him for several nights

Do you have a friend or neighbour who can walk the dog for you, OP? We did this for a week (I was housebound anyway having just gotten out of hospital- non COVID related)?

I actually think there is/has been conflicting advice. I self isolated almost 2 weeks ago for 7 days due to a mild cough that only lasted a couple of days. I checked the gov.uk website to make sure I was doing it right and at the time it said exercise outside was allowed as long as you kept 2 metres from anyone else. Anything else outside the home was not allowed, so I had someone drop some food on my doorstep. I did go out for a couple of walks.

I have just checked the gov.uk website and it now says "any exercise should be taken within your home." The page says it was updated 9th April, but I obviously don't know when that specific part of it was changed. Had I experienced symptoms again I am not sure I would have checked gov.uk again, as I would have thought I already knew what the rules were, and would have gone for walks (or course I now know better)

Just to add, I think if the government are going to change the rules on self isolation they really ought to publicise it with TV adverts.

@Veterinari you were needlessly unpleasant to me, firstly making out that I was wasting time making a thread. (This is a support thread!) Yes there have been some really stupid threads on here but I feel this didn't warrant your remark. And you're convinced that I've got symptoms when I haven't said that, saying people are irresponsible. Thanks, but your link doesn't help me. I'm looking for help with dog walking considering I have someone with symptoms in the house, not me.

I'm a very responsible person and taken all this very seriously from the start, I want to do the right thing.

Thank you for all the comments, I agree that the guidance appears to be changing. I have nobody to ask to take the dog out. There has been continuous offers of support within my community on Facebook but hesitant to give the dog to someone they don't know, could be very unsettling for him. We really miss our walks though.

@nolovelost you're absolutely right to ask on here things are indeed changing by the minute, you sound very sensible and you have armed yourself with all the facts available, I've no doubt you'll do the right thing

I'm really lucky my Mum lives up the road and also has a small dog so when I needed to self isolate she just fetched him, although I didn't have Covoid-19 I didn't want to take any chances so Mum kept him for the week instead of bringing him back and forth

Failing this I would have let a neighbor take him rather than no walk at all because if he didn't want to go he'd sit down and refuse so we'd all soon know 😂

Hope you feel better soon

@Cait73 thank you for the lovely words. And how lovely of your mum. Did you have to self isolate because of a family member with the virus? It's a family member in my situation.

@nolovelost no I had a migraine (which actually lasted 6 days) but you just can't take any chances at the moment

Why don't you just walk the dog somewhere that you won't go near people. Like the woods.

Giving the dog, who from what I understand is in a household with someone who is ill with covid19 would pose more of a risk of spreading the infection than just walking the dog yourself somewhere remote and not going near people.

We all need to use a bit of common sense here.

@nolovelost. Actually, I'm going to completely go against my previous reply.

I think you CAN walk your dog according to the current guidelines (as you don't have any symptoms yourself) however, I don't think you should. I wouldn't. The fact that someone in the house may well have it, means any of you may well have it too and personally I wouldn't want to risk passing it on to anyone else in the community. If I could walk the dog somewhere guaranteed not to be near another person I would, but not if it's on residential streets. But that's MY opinion. I think official stance is that you can if you don't have symptoms (seems mad to me, but there you go).

Also cinnamon trust might be able to put you in touch with a vetted volunteer. Or maybe choose someone who is in an otherwise trusted position locally - childminder etc or an elderly person or girl guide leader - someone established locally.

They're hardly likely to have turned into a dog napper overnight 😊

That advice has recently changed so it’s not a surprise OP is confused. I’ve been quarantining and when i started it definitely said you could go outside to exercise which struck me as bonkers at the time.

Sorry, I see Richard has made the same point.

I think as you aren't the ill person you can take the dog a walk but stay well away from others. If you are ill you can't go out at all.
I may be wrong though.

Thank you for all the comments