Always knew the dogs would save us all, tbh.

Amidst the uncertainty, panic, and even sadness that has arisen due to the recent Covid-19 outbreak, it can often be difficult to find a source of light in the dark. Sure, we've got memes, our sense of community, and entire Netflix catalogues, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Sometimes, we need dogs to step up to the plate - and give us a reason to smile again. Enter Barley: an adorable, loyal, and incredibly proactive golden retriever who isn't just doing his bit to keep his humans entertained amid this pandemic - he's also doing his best to keep them safe. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Q4Xv3J9Xx/ Along with his stuffed toy best friend Fluffy, two year old Barley has been doing utmost to ensure that owner Marc doesn't leave the house for anything less than absolute necessities. But instead of just asking him to stay inside like a human being, he's tackling him to the floor before he can leave the house. Just like any Good Boy would do. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9tPlm_JV6H/ Both Marc and his partner Zita, who currently live in Amsterdam, have been - like most people - advised to work from home for the foreseeable future. They say they're looking forward to seeing how Barley reacts to the sudden constant presence of his humans around the house - but also to see just how far he goes to ensue that they stay inside. "Barley's a big fan of watching TV but lately the humans have only been watching the news," Zita tells Her. "Barley must have heard how the world is on lockdown and decided that he had to keep his human safe. When the human attempted to go outside, Barley and Fluffy tried to trip him up. In the end he got what he always wants: lots of extra attention!" https://www.instagram.com/p/B9wY81AJBPa/ He also delivers, just an FYI. Zita says that although social distancing is very much in full swing in Amsterdam, she and Marc have been making sure that Barley gets as many walks as possible in the meantime. "Barley is part dog, part crocodile and can smell the mud from a mile away so we're making sure he gets lots of long walks and mud moments whilst we still can incase we get told to stay inside," she says. You can follow more of Barley's adventures (and social distancing measures) over on his Instagram account here.