Last year in my inaugural blog post, I discussed how pets (both cats and dogs) have made the pandemic more bearable. Recently there has been concern about the fate of these animals now that the nation is opening back up, employees are going back to work, and children will be attending in-person classes.
“’Excruciatingly Sad’: Shelters Bracing for ‘Selfish’ Return of Pandemic Pets” was the May 12 headline of a May 12 New York Post article by Dorrie Lewak. According to her, shelters saw a record number of adoptions during the pandemic but now are bracing for the return of many of these pets. She surmised that as people go back to work, they will be occupied with their normal activities, and this will trigger a “selfish” return of pets as they realize that caring for a pet requires work. Penny Smith-Berk, who oversees the Rescue Right animal shelter in Bedford, New York and is quoted in the article, notes that this is incredibly sad because “a pet is a member of your family and has the intelligence of a small child, so you are basically returning your 2-year-old child.”
Reports show, however, that most people don’t give up their pets because they are bored with them (now that they have their lives back), they are too hard to care for, or that they leave too much pet hair and other messes around the house. In a recent Washington Post article (May 17, 2021), staff writer S.E. Smith notes that there are other reasons people surrender their pets. The writer cites two studies: a recent Best Friends study and a 2015 survey by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The Best Friends study showed that 13.7% give up their pets because of eviction or housing issues (made more acute by the pandemic), 5% give them up because they can’t afford care, and 4 % give them up because of personal problems (like domestic abuse). The ASPCA survey indicates that almost one-half of surrenders were because of housing or financial problems.
Although it is disconcerting to think some people will give up their pets for selfish reasons, more recent data indicates that pandemic pets may have made people less selfish. Many of those who have adopted a pet for the first time have realized that cats and dogs have become an important part of their families. New York Times staff writer Michael Levanson, in an article entitled, “No, People Aren’t Returning Pandemic Dogs in Droves” (May 22, 2021), notes that the reports of pets being returned after the pandemic may have been premature because the data is not backing up that assertion. Levanson writes that according to Michael San Filippo, spokesperson for the American Veterinarian Association, they have seen no evidence to indicate an increase in surrenders. Likewise, Pet Point, a website which collects data from more than 1,100 animal welfare organizations, shows that there is an uptick in pets coming in to shelter but that increase is only a return to pandemic levels. In the same article, Levanson quotes a Rover.com survey which shows that 93% of 1,000 owners says that pets made life more bearable for them and 80% believe that pets made work from home more enjoyable during the pandemic.
Although we probably won’t know the overall fate of pandemic pets until later this year, it seems that pandemic pets may have a lasting effect on people. Not only have people realized what wonderful companions they make but also how they can enhance our lifestyle. Also, they may influence changing the way we work. Many employees have realized that they like working at home (or at least working at home part of the week) and have found that they are more productive. And maybe part of the reason for that is that your furry friend is a better officemate than the cranky or loud one in the office cubicle next to yours!
