“Not-So-Forever-Homes” for Pandemic Puppies

What was known as “a man’s best friend” quickly became a “ temporary companion”. The unbearable loneliness that Covid-19 brought upon us caused people who normally wouldn’t adopt to bring home that adorable puppy. 

Before covid had even been discovered there was no pet demand whatsoever. Shelters and fosters were just as sad and packed as ever. People went on with their lives without a single desire to adopt a dog, despite their need for a home. These same people didn’t need to because they were already emotionally complete. They had an abundance of social interactions and weekend plans after a long week of work. They spent their hard earned leisure income on vacations, fine dining, and hobbies . Their jobs kept them well enough engaged where they didn’t need to be more active.

Within two years the world has flipped upside down. Those same people are now out of a job or barely working from home surviving off aid from the government. Everyone became totally afraid and isolated from society. No one had a single idea what to do, they were no longer engaged or socially active. Leisure money now had no use and quickly became extra money they weren’t spending on socializing. Humans require companionship, they need something.

The University of Alabama’s experts discussed how it has drastically changed society. A better alternative for adopting pets would have been an app called “B Well” created by hospitals that is now up and running(UBA, para1) . This app has a self-care feature to monitor your healthy habits like sleep, movemeet, nutrition, routine as well as habits that you can create yourself. These apps are crucial to helping battle loneliness and depression during covid. People were stripped of their everyday routine and their hobbies have become limited. They have all this new free time now that they didn’t before. This is the reason for the new dammand for dogs. 

No matter what it is, spending time on an activity you enjoy can improve mental health. Research proves that it is less likely to suffer from mental illnesses like depression, when you have a hobby. Participating in group activities and gatherings is also extremely crucial for mental well being (head to health, para 2). It helps improve communication skills and build connections with others which covid has taken away. Socializing is something so little that affects us so much. It’s so important that it “has been considered an important factor for preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s”, according to Bella Vista Health Center Blog. We took it for granted and now not only did we suffer ourselves but many dogs were abandoned on the way. That dog may have missed its opportunity to find someone who actually cares for them in the long run. 

Nearly 1 in 5 households got a pet, out of that 1 in 5, “was a total of 78 million dogs” (Givens, 1). The main concern as to why they are now returning their dogs is because of financial security. The issue here isn’t the dogs, it’s the owners.  People went from being a bad Adoption Candidate to all the sudden a Good Adoption Candidate and unfortunately right back to back to a bad, if not, a worse adoption candidate.

Finally nearing the end of covid people started to hop right back into their old schedules, the ones that didn’t fit a dog. They returned right back to the office full time. Their social lives sparked back up again, but with all that leisure money now going to a dog they can’t go out as much. Poor adopters returning to their old lives where they were emotionally complete, realized there was no need for a furry companion anymore. 

Aine Givens. ManyPets “5 Statistics about the COVID-19 Pet Adoption Surge.” ManyPets, ManyPets (US), https://manypets.com/us/blog/covid-pet-adoption/. 

Bella Vista Health Center. “How Socialization Affects Your Overall Mental Health: Bella Vista San Diego, CA.” Bella Vista Health Center, Bella Vista Health Center, 14 Sept. 2016, https://www.bellavistahealth.com/blog/2016/8/1/how-socialization-affects-your-overall-mental-health. 

“How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Society.” UAB News, https://www.uab.edu/news/youcanuse/item/12697-how-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-society. 

“Purposeful Activity – Hobbies.” Head to Health, https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbies