At the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of people were alone for the first time. Most of us had some extra time on our hands since many of our customary activities were curtailed, and to combat loneliness, lots of people adopted pets from animal shelters. While a noble gesture at any time, a pet is a huge commitment, and ideally, it should be a lifelong commitment. Now, here we are more than a year since the beginning of the pandemic, and people are getting back to their normal lives. Unfortunately, that is also true of the pets these people adopted.
Lockdown restrictions have lifted in most countries, at least to some extent, and these pets are being surrendered to shelters and in some cases, even abandoned. Shelters around the U.S. say that the numbers of pets being returned are staggering. However, it’s not just the U.S. Glamour Magazine reports that the RSPCA is saying that people are abandoned nearly 40 pets every day in Wales and England. In fact, many shelters have observed this. In March 2020, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which has three locations across the United Kingdom, found homes for nearly every animal they had.
Lockdowns around the world led to a pandemic boom for the billion dollar pet industry. Now, as Covid restrictions lift and workers return to the office, animal shelters are seeing an increase in pet parents abandoning their pets. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/jfchl7LEAX
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) May 9, 2021
However, in the spring of this year, England reopened, and people started bringing the adopted pets back to the shelter. Battersea reports that the number of dogs surrendered has doubled. Maryland’s Lucky Dog Animal Rescue says that the same thing is happening at their shelter. The representative, Ashley Roberts, says that they’re seeing more returns than ever. Part of the problem is that people don’t have the time they used to have at home, so they’re returning the pets. For some people, the pandemic has affected their finances and they can no longer afford their pets.
Some people bought puppies early in the pandemic, and they’ve grown into adult dogs now. Good luck finding homes for them now that they’re no longer cute little puppies. It’s a sad situation. Watch the news video below.
