We all need time to ease back into our pre-COVID lives. That includes our dogs, too. The return to normal, where dogs spend hours on their own then meet dozens of strangers when they go out, should not be like ripping off a Band-Aid. Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods Opinion contributors As we emerge from the pandemic and stumble, blinking into the light, some of us will fling ourselves back into our old lives without a backward glance. Some of us will need more time to transition. The same is true for our dogs. The two biggest challenges dogs must overcome are how to be together and how to be alone. The challenges are extra difficult if they were born during the pandemic and have never learned to do either.