Pets seem to have helped people cope with lockdown, but it’s not been easy for the pets, two studies show.This is a tough year for everyone. How have pets helped us cope with the difficulties of the pandemic so far? And is it a tough year for pets, too? Several research studies are already providing some answers. In the relatively early days of the pandemic, which now feel like a decade ago, it became apparent that people would have to spend a lot more time at home, whether out of choice or because a lockdown was imposed. There were reports of people rushing out to adopt pets . And around the world, numerous academics launched studies to find out what was happening. Pets help people with tight lockdown in SpainSpain was badly affected early on, and went into a very strict lockdown in mid-March that was tightly policed. People were only allowed out to get food and medicine , to access healthcare, or to work (if working from home was not possible). They were not even al…