Animal Adoptions Skyrocket as Pandemic Rolls On
The coronavirus has a bright silver lining, and animal shelters – with their rows of empty cages – have a wonderful dilemma: There’s no more product left to move. From the start, this virus – the isolation, the quarantine, the multiple walks taken each day, the locked doors of groomers and salons – has been undoubtedly beautiful for petkind.
Now, it has done wonders for many pups that needed homes. It’s also been as beneficial for cats, from the standpoint of finding families, even if felines are on the fence about some elements of this situation (in other words, your cat might want you to go back to work).
Across the nation, from Colorado to California, the Midwest to the East Coast, people have taken to pounds in droves (well, droves that allow for six-feet cushions of social distancing) and gone home with a new best friend forever.
The reasons for this are many, but the kibosh on connection plays a huge role. As we’re asked to shelter in place, away from distant family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, it’s easy to grow lonely. And pets are experts in fixing the forsaken. They’re safe, too – while there are a few reports here and there of dogs, cats, and even tigers getting the coronavirus from humans, no reports have come in regarding the opposite. If it’s possible (and that’s a big “if”) pets are highly unlikely to be a huge source of transmission.
The pandemic has refocused people on what’s important, including time with loved ones, kindness, and compassion. And this has translated into many of us opening our hearts, and our front doors, to the four-legged.
Pets give us purpose as well, which is something so many of us are seeking in times of such idleness. We must walk them, play with them, feed them, care for them, console them, hold them tight during roaring thunderstorms. We must act and we must do. And we need that. We need something that needs us.
Finally, the coronavirus (and subsequent quarantine) has taught us that we do have the means, the desire, and the time to give a pet the love and care they deserve. It’ll become trickier once life goes back to normal (whatever version of normal we find), but it’ll be too late for takebacks: Animals seize our souls from the start and we’re never able to wriggle out of their grasp. And, of course, we don’t want to.
JJ Keeler lives in Colorado with a house full of pets. She owns three dogs, two cats, and a hamster she bought as a bribe to get her daughter to ride the school bus. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado and has worked as a professional writer for fifteen years. Her clothes are perpetually covered in pet hair.
