Dog Adoption Rates Increase because of Covid-19 Pandemic

Cities in lockdown have brought many changes in our lives and the lives of our families since the appearance of the Covid-19 virus. Therefore, quarantine caused an increase in dog adoption – bringing new furry friends home to be part of the family.

That being said, many families meet new struggles of keeping their pet dogs happy. This is especially the case while lockdown is present because they are not able to take a walk with their dogs. I’ve seen quite a few people on the news talking about this topic – explaining their daily struggles because of city lockdown.

How did dog adoption become popular?

Instantly since the appearance of the Covid-19 virus, pet ownership has been increasing on a daily basis. While no one can give correct and precise answers why does this happen, we can assume social distance takes a big role in it.

Social distancing effect

Quarantine forced us to stay home, most commonly for the longer part of the day. As a result, social time decreased and people became lonely. Therefore, I believe people needed a friend to cope with loneliness and the idea of adopting dogs got more common.

Social distance can lead to an increase in anxiety and depression in most people. People that are in higher need of social interactions in order to remain happy experienced the greatest impact.

Luckily, owning a dog as a pet fills this gap of negative thoughts and feelings. Dogs make their owners happier and less worried about negative events in their life.

Why is dog adoption an issue?

While dog adoption is not the issue and actually is a wonderful decision made by people, keeping the dog happy while limiting social distance can be tough. Lockdown results in many dogs going to the “bathroom” in their owners’ apartments, houses, and yards.

As a result, dog owners need to pay more attention to taking their dogs for a walk and making sure they have access to plenty of food and fresh water. The only issue that might happen is teaching your dog not to poop and pee where it shouldn’t.

Before taking a walk with your dog outside, read will dog pee kill plants article which may have some useful knowledge.

Is adopting a dog during Covid-19 a good idea?

Definitively yes. Most countries allow people to go outside for at least a few hours a day while lockdown is present. This time is enough to take your dog for a walk and maybe even spend some time playing with it outside. Grocery shopping shouldn’t take long either, so I am sure that you will have time to do both.

Some breeds got luckier

Different dogs seek different things. Therefore, some dog breeds may seek more attention and active time than other ones. While attention-seeking may not be a problem because the number of people who work from home increased since the lockdown, it can be an issue to keep your dog active during the quarantine.

Some of the most active dog breeds are:

• Russell Terriers
• Golden Retrievers
• Australian Shepherds
• Belgian Malinois
• Labrador Retrievers
• Dalmatians
• Siberian Huskies
• Border Collies

If you live in the apartment and your dog loves activities such as running and fetching the ball, you should find a way to fill your dog activity needs. Do not feel sad if your dog needs more activity than others – it’s just a sign that the dog is full of energy and happiness.

Picking a breed

As said before, there is no need to feel sadness if your dog feels the urge to be active. It is very wrong to love or hate dogs based on their needs. The same goes for other dog characteristics, such as its size or breed.

What to know before adopting

You should pick a dog based on your feeling about picking a dog itself. What I mean by this is that you should love all dogs the same and not make a difference between them or judge them by their looks. Dogs that are not pure breed will make you equally happy as purebred dogs if they are well taken care of.

Picking a dog for adoption

However, there are some things you should consider before getting a dog. These are obvious, but worth mentioning.

If you are living in an apartment, picking a dog that will grow very large might not be a good idea. Some of the largest dog breeds are:

• Afghan Hound
• Airedale Terrier
• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute
• American Foxhound
• Bearded Collie
• Beauceron

However, this should be considered if your apartment is not big enough for the dog. Indeed, most apartments are, even ones that may be labeled as “small” for humans.

Another thing you may consider is if you prefer large or small dogs. Honestly, I prefer both, but this varies from person to person and it’s okay for everyone to have their choice.

You may also consider learning more about which dog food is the healthiest, which may help you decide which dog food you should pick during the lockdown.

Dog adoption statistics

A recent survey has found that nearly half of all pet owners in the United Kingdom adopted at least one new dog during the Covid-19 lockdown. Similarly, around 10% of British households that do not have any pets tend to get one in the next six months.

Another information from the survey states that nearly 37% of pet owners work at home. As stated before, this is a good thing as dogs will get more attention. However, not all of them are that lucky.

Dog adoption’s dark side during the lockdown

While many people choose to adopt puppies, others would rather buy them. As a result, Google searches for “buy a puppy” increased by 166% since 23 March 2020 – the date when the lockdown was announced in the UK.

Increase in dog prices

Therefore, many dog-breeders skyrocketed the prices of their dogs. Unless dog breeding is the only income for breeders and they do not earn enough, this is understandable. However, many breeders want to earn more money even if they already have enough, steady earnings.

I believe that dogs for sale are already being taken care of and people should choose to give a chance of warm home to sad, fearful dogs on the street. It’s free and will save countless lives and make them better.

Loneliness wearing off

As people slowly start to go back to their jobs and kids back to school, their social life will be better and therefore they may not feel the “gap” of loneliness anymore. In other words, they may not feel the need to have a dog anymore.

While this is okay, there are people that abandon dogs after they start getting social again. Such people are very selfish and shouldn’t have adopted a dog at all.

Dogs Trust – a dog fostering service, stated:

Dog ownership is a wonderful thing, but it is a lifelong commitment which must be carefully considered. As our saying goes, ‘a dog is for life’, and in this case, not just for self-isolation.

While the number of unemployed people surged up, dog adoptions did too. But while the number of unemployed people decreased, a number of abandoned dogs by their owners did too. Therefore, this is a very dark and sad decision made by people.

Conclusion

Quarantine created many effects on people, one of them being the need of adopting a pet. This created some complications in timing for dog activities, but it’s nothing unsolvable.

You should adopt a dog because you feel like giving it a chance of getting a better life. It’s wrong adopting it to get a source of consolation from it.