Many households were forced to give up on their pets!
In the first 14 months of the pandemic, around 1 in 5 American households adopted pets. However, with COVID provisions shifted and inflation taken its toll on the economy, most of those cats and dogs are returning to the shelters. This creates a crisis of capacity in shelters. According to Shelter Animal Count, 4% more animals entered shelters than last year, and they stay in shelters much longer than during the past 4 years.
88% of shelters have reported to be short on staff during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the number of animals in shelters is growing higher and higher. In January, 2022, there were around 60,000 more dogs and 40,000 more cats ready for adoption than in January, 2021.
In order to find homes for pets, shelters have decreased adoption fees and are also offering proper resources to those who are willing to own a pet but have financial problems.
The program “Treat to Return” of the Humane Rescue Alliance organization helped 642 pets in Washington, D.C., area stay with their owners. According to Lisa LaFontaine, CEO of the Humane Rescue Alliance, they paid to treat minor medical issues that the owners could not afford.
“We’ve started to do things like give out free pet food,” LaFontaine said. “Last year, we gave out nearly 400,000 pet meals so that people didn’t have to worry about food if they were struggling.”
“There’s no question that pet ownership is getting more and more expensive and some folks on the lower end of the income spectrum are just going to get priced out”, told Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree.
Moreover, pet services (including veterinary costs) have increased up to 9% in the last year, according to Labor Department data. Inflation affects all aspects of the economy, so many households were forced to give up on their pets.
The Humane Society in Northern Virginia has noticed a slight increase in calls from pet owners struggling to keep up with the costs and care for their pets. Although many volunteers have stepped in to foster some shelter animals, there are still not enough people ready to adopt and take care of them.
More about the topic in the video below:
