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week at home, the Aubrys took turns sleeping on the floor next to the crate to make sure the puppy had enough company to comfortably fall asleep. When they had enough spending the night next to his crate on the living room floor, they bought another, smaller crate that fit comfortably in their bedroom.

They found the perfect lullaby on YouTube – “12 hours puppy sleeping music” – that prepared him for naptime. And the first time the couple ate at a restaurant, they brought Pluto’s mini play pen, blanket and freezer lunch box so his dog toys stayed cold.

Through all this time, the Aubrys worked from home, which meant Pluto was hardly, if ever, by himself. The only time they can recall leaving him at home alone for more than a half an hour was when Katt accidentally locked herself out of the apartment.

But Katt and Robin Aubry – she a fellow at an impact investing firm, and he a Foreign Service officer at the State Department – understood Pluto lacked experience in the “alone time” department and hoped he would one day be independent enough to handle travel and maybe even a move overseas. They studied videos online about how to treat separation anxiety in dogs, and at one point, intentionally left their apartment for 10 minutes to ease Pluto into solo time.

Those 10 minutes were disastrous.

They watched on their dog monitor camera as Pluto lost a toy under their bed, swiveled his head around, realized he was all alone and launched into a fit of ferocious barking. It went on for so long the neighbor texted to ask if Pluto was okay.

“He just freaked out,” Katt Aubry, 31, said.

A dog dependent on constant company like Pluto has become increasingly inconvenient as in-person social life resumed this summer. And many people, including the Aubrys, fear it will be nothing short of impossible if in-person work resumes in the fall.

The CEO of Morgan Stanley said at an investment conference in June that he will be “very disappointed” if his employees don’t return to the office by Labor Day, CNN reported. Many Congressional staffers, barring a significant uptick in the delta variant, are expected to return to Capitol Hill full-time after August recess. And a June survey by the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit made up of business leaders and companies, found that employers expect 62% of office employees expect to return to the office by the end of September – a 37% increase from March estimates of 45%.

Across the country, parents prepping their pets have spiked demand for doggy day care services.

In Chicago, PUPS Pet Club matched its pre-pandemic monthly revenue for the first time in June, a steep recovery after they closed three of its four locations last year due to lack of business. In California, Bow Wow Bungalow grew its staff by 30% over the summer to accommodate new customers. And in D.C., Patrick’s Pet Care has a three-month waitlist for the first time in its six-year history. They had to temporarily block their phone system to keep up with the volume of calls.

“My clients are going back to work or expecting to go back to work, and they realize they can barely go to the grocery store without their dog,” said Toni Woods, a certified separation anxiety trainer who owns Spot On Dog Training in Washington.

Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post photos ABOVE: Pluto, right, faces off with nimbu at their dog Montessori school. LEFT: Katt ortiz-Manalo aubry greets Pluto after doggie day care.

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As the Aubrys left Pluto alone for his first day of school, they wondered how their pup would get through the next eight hours.

Throughout the day, general manager Emma Teller observed Pluto for a behavioral assessment that would decide if he was a long term-fit for her Montessori school.

The assessment started off on the right paw. Pluto leaped and bounded around the small group playroom, greeting new dogs one-by-one with appropriate levels of sniffing. He went to the bathroom on the designated patch of turf grass decorated with a fire hydrant. When it was time for a “rambunctious yet focused” game of “come,” Pluto followed cues with aptitude and enthusiasm.

But Pluto’s performance took a turn when it was time for “structured down time.” Teller tried to ease him into his faux marble-covered crate through a series of one-minute exercises, but as soon as she disappeared from his eyesight only one minute in, his yelps filled the facility. He barked, panted and drooled until she unlatched the door just a few minutes later.

“He basically tried to hug me with his paws,” Teller said. “He’s a Covid baby. He has great confidence in life with everything but alone time.”

Pluto wasn’t the only one who struggled that day. Between meetings, Katt Aubry caught herself looking over at her pet’s empty dog bed by her desk and missing the pitter patter of his footsteps around the house. Every few hours, she checked the live camera at Patrick’s.

“I wish I could have put the video in the background, plugged my HDMI into the TV and had it on all day,” she said.

By 6 p.m., the Aubrys were more than ready to lay eyes on their furry friend. They waited in the pickup line outside of Patrick’s and met the parents of a goldendoodle named Banana, whom they recognized as a follower of Pluto’s Instagram (@ItsPlutoThePup).

They had just stepped through the glass door when they saw that auburn fur and moist button nose bouncing toward them.

“Did you have a good day today?” Katt Aubry asked Pluto, bending down to his eye level. “Did you have a fun time?”

He wagged his tail.