Dog and Cat Adoptions Skyrocket Due to Covid-19

With many Mississippi animal shelters scaling back normal full operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first impression might be that animals are suffering more due to virus-related closures. According to a number of news sources across the country, the opposite is true: Coronavirus has caused a sizable uptick in pet adoptions from shelters nationwide.

For instance, according to Fox11 — a Fox News affiliate in Los Angeles, Calif. — pet adoptions and fostering of pets is up significantly.

The station reports that according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there has been a “nearly 70-percent increase in animals going into foster care through the New York City and Los Angeles foster programs” when compared to fostering numbers from the same time period in 2019. Similar reports are being made across the country.

This uptick in fostering and adopting makes sense. As families are sequestered away without access to socializing, kids are increasingly stir-crazy. Bringing a pet into the home gives a young child a new project upon which to focus. It’s good for building responsibility and filling the empty hours with a furry companion during a time when accessing human companions for play is difficult.

This post by Today.com gives more details on why sheltering a pet during the “stay-at-home” period is a “win/win” idea.

It’s a great time to adopt a pet, but we at Parents & Kids caution all families to be careful that pet adoption or fostering decisions be made only after careful thought and planning, and not on a whim. If you’ve considered the costs, the ways it will affect home life, and considered whether or not your child is REALLY ready, then it’s as good a time as any to bring a furry new friend into your home.

Turn lemons into lemonade…save a dog or cat from its sad, unwanted “social distancing.”