https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-pet-adoption-boom/
Thanks to Sheltering-in-Place, Animal Shelters are Empty
2020 has been a crazy year, for all of us, hasn't it? Some shelters across the nation are experiencing a wonderful problem. They don't have any adoptable pets! Since we are all stuck at home, and sheltering-in-place, lots of people have been adopting pets to keep them company. There is one concern of mine that I would like to address regarding this boom in pet adoption, though.
For starters, I am worried that the people who have impulsively adopted a dog or car during this pandemic will eventually get bored. I am nervous about this, because right now we are all quarantining at home, and we have all the time on our hands. But what happens when we all go back to work? What happens to the dogs and cats that get left at home without us all day? I am concerned that once we all start to return to “normal” that these dogs and cats are going to be brought back to the shelter that they came from, and be forgotten about all over again.
On to the good parts! A shelter in Pennsylvania saw their applications to adopt rise from 3-5 per week, to over 40 per day! Many shelters have been waiving adoption fees for new pet parents, to try and ease the economic strain that we are all experiencing in one way or another. The primary reason that people don’t adopt a pet, is because their work schedule doesn't allow the time needed to raise one. With COVID being around, most of us are home all day, and we now have the time to adopt a pet.
Even with COVID, some people just aren't able to adopt a pet, and that’s okay. There are a lot of people who are still doing what they can to help these animals, like going on shelter websites and finding out what the shelters are in need of. Some people are dropping off blankets, food, treats, beds, etc. There has been such a surge in kindness and empathy towards these animals in need, and nothing makes my heart soar like that.
Iris Smolkovic is a psychologist who works with Dogs for Good. She has found that interacting with an animal can actually lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, while also increasing the production of dopamine and oxytocin. Those ones are the “feel-good” hormones produced in your brain.
Humans require routine, and having a pet around is a good start for creating a routine in your everyday life. Building your daily routine around your pet’s needs will eventually reduce the anxiety you feel throughout the day, and actually help you build healthier habits, such as exercising, and eating healthier.
With all of the great parts of this, there are also challenges. One of the main challenges that all shelters are facing, is that everything is virtual, or socially distanced. This makes it difficult to do meet-and-greets with the pets. Shelters are having people pick up their pets curbside, and the only way to meet the dogs and cats at shelters is by appointment only. This makes the whole process take longer, and many shelters are struggling to get these dogs adopted out. Most people just foster them.
Another issue that shelters are facing, is the amount of people who are surrendering their animals due to financial instability, and those who have fallen too ill to care for their pets. This is why shelters are pushing to foster animals so much, because the more animals who find their way into foster homes, it allows more room for other animals to come into the shelter, rather than just out on the street.
With every good, there is a bad. Luckily here, the good is outweighing most of the bad. These animals are finding their forever homes, and truth be told, I’ve never been happier about the shelter situation than I am about this one.
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