Adopting a pet is a fantastic experience.
You get a friend who will stand with you no matter what, make your life less stressful, and love you unconditionally.
Are these the reasons why pet adoption increased during the pandemic?
Yep, you’ve read it correctly. Pet adoption statistics show that there were more people adopting pets. It does sound unusual, but whereas people’s interest in taking increased after the coronavirus outbreak, some data indicates that the overall adoption trends have gone down since April.
In the article below, we’ll discuss why people decided to adopt during the pandemic, the exact numbers of pet adoption, and what the future holds.
Why Do People Adopt?
The first question that needs to be asked is why people decided that the pandemic is the perfect time for pet adoption. And if you’re one of those people, you can learn more about how to take care of your pet on any reliable website.
But meanwhile, let’s find out what were the reasons for increased interest in pet adoption.
Since people were all forced to stay at home, many of them noticed that they finally have time to get themselves a pet they’ve always wanted.
Secondly, because of social distancing, many people had to stay alone in their homes. For a vast majority, a situation like this can be stressful and lead to anxiety, or sometimes even depression. To deal with that, many people decided to bring a dog or a cat to their lives.
Keep in mind that owning a pet has significant benefits for your mental health, and are perfect companions in these difficult times we have to live in.
What’s more, since people have found out that dogs and cats can’t transmit COVID 19, they’ve known that adopting a pet is entirely safe.
Why There Have Been Fewer Adoptions?
As mentioned before, despite growing interest in pet adoption, data suggests that the number of adoptions has decreased since April. And what are the reasons for that? Let’s find out.
First of all, the boom for pet adoption began at the beginning of March and lasted until April. The reason for that is simple. The actual lockdown started then. Many people weren’t able to come to an animal shelter and pick up a dog or a cat.
Secondly, because of the “March madness” in adoption numbers, there simply weren’t enough pets to fulfill the demand. Cages in shelters were empty, which is a great thing, but that’s the main reason why the actual numbers dropped.
What’s more, shelters had to move the animals to foster homes and close down for some time because of the safety reasons.
The Statistics
Okay, you know the reasons why people decided to adopt, and why the actual number of adoptions has decreased. Now it’s time to learn more about what statistics have to say.
As mentioned before, the number of adoptions hit the roof at the beginning of March, with almost 18,000 dogs and 10,000 cats finding new homes. Since then, there’s been a decline, due to stay-at-home orders, and other restrictions regarding COVID 19.
On the positive side, there’s been an increasing number of foster online applications, said dog expert from the Pampered Pup. And once animal shelters start to work usually, they’ll be able to fulfill the demand.
Well, at least they should be able because the number of applications has been growing significantly. Some New York shelters received ten times the usual amount of applications, whereas, in Pennsylvania, the number rose from 5 a day to 40 a day.
What’s more, with the way things are going, the demand is likely to grow. Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict whether shelters will be able to handle all the requests. That’s why we don’t know what the future holds for our furry friends.
Nevertheless, the increasing demand is a positive piece of information and is one of the things we can all be proud of.
Adopting a Pet Dog During the Pandemic
If you formerly avoided obtaining a pet as a result of functioning outside the residence, you may currently find yourself in a suitable circumstance. Remember, that adopting a family pet is a dedication to care for that pet for their whole life.
The danger of infecting with COVID-19 for your dog is very low.
Dr. Douglas Kratt, stated “it doesn’t appear that pets are playing a role in spreading the virus.” He suggests to be careful however not to be afraid. The American Veterinary Medical Association suggests the following standards to maintain you as well as your animal safe:
- Clean your hands after caring for or having fun with your pets, as well as before as well as after feeding them
- Keep their bed linens, food and water dish, and also collars as well as leashes tidy
- Social distance with your family pet from other individuals as well as their pets
Worst instance situation if you do come to be contaminated with COVID-19, it’s ideal to have someone else in your home look after your animal so that they can obtain the very best care possible as well as you on your own can concentrate on getting better.
If your pet dog ends up being sick for any kind of factor, call your veterinarian.
Conclusion
With all the negatives that the pandemic has brought with it, we can still find some positive information. The perfect example is pet adoption statistics. The demand is growing, and even though shelters can’t fulfill the demand at the moment, people still want to adopt, and it’s easy to see why.
Pets are perfect companions for the times of coronavirus. They bring joy to a household and help fight anxiety and depression that many people have been dealing with since the start of the pandemic.
What’s more, because so many of us work remotely, we can finally find time to take care of a dog or a cat we’ve dreamed of having for a long time if you’re one of the heroes who adopted a pet during the pandemic, congratulations.
And if not, you know what to do.
