Many people have been posting on social media about the solar eclipse. It is impossible to turn on the television without seeing explanations of the event, with dire warnings to avoid looking at the sun during the eclipse. People are paying up to $1,000 for eclipse sunglasses on eBay. Has the world gone mad?
I have seen dozens of social media posts warning that animals will be anxious, wild animals may stampede, and our pets should be sheltered to keep them from going blind during the eclipse. None of this makes any sense!
Animals do not stare at the sun. Dogs are generally too busy putting their nose to the ground following scents. If they should "accidentally" look up during the eclipse, the sun will be no brighter than it is every single day. It's still the same sun. The reason there are dire warnings to protect your eyes is that people want to see the moon passing in front of the sun, so they want to stare at the eclipse. Our pets have no reason to do this.
Your pets may, however, be slightly confused by darkness occurring at the wrong time of day. It will probably make mine think it's time for dinner. But really, it's not different than a stormy, dark day when the thunderclouds roll in and obscure the sun.
Relax and enjoy the show. Let your pets enjoy a nap inside and you won't have to worry about protecting their peepers.
