Unsplash | Rick T.T.

Pet Adoption And Fostering Gains Popularity During Coronavirus Self-Isolation

Updated September 8, 2021

Depending on where you live in the world you may be just starting your journey into self-isolation or may have long since become very familiar with every inch of your home.

It's hard to say who will go insane faster: people stuck in one location 24/7 with their family or roommates, or people who live alone.

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I'm in the loner group, but thankfully, I live with two very adorable dogs.

Pixabay | Sven Lachmann

Besides their unconditional love and cuteness, my boys have one other big bonus during mandatory stay-in-place rules: walkies!

No matter how long we'll be expected to spend most of our time at home, my dogs make sure I get outside and walk around the block at least once a day.

In fact, they may be starting to get sick of me being home at this point.

While I already had two lovable fluffs in my home, other people are realizing the benefits of having a furry friend to shelter in place with, which is why many animal shelters are reporting higher than usual fostering and adoption applications.

Though in-person visits to shelters are limited right now, many are accepting online applications and doing phone interviews.

Pixabay | Axelle Spencer

For example, even though Battersea Dogs and Cats Home locations are currently closed to the public, they found homes for 86 dogs and 69 cats in just the week starting March 16.

That's double the amount of dogs and triple the number of cats compared to the same week in 2019.

And many other organizations throughout the world are seeing the same increases.

This is great for shelters and rescues on a number of levels.

In normal times, they often struggle to find foster homes for animals in need and it can be even harder to find forever homes. Plus, there's the cost of caring for and feeding the animals.

With jobs being lost or in limbo, many people who might donate money towards such causes may be unable to, and volunteering is out of the question for most people right now.

But what people do have right now is time.

Many families worry about adopting a pet because it can be a lot of work, especially when the animal is young. Even if you want a kitten or puppy, you might worry about fitting its needs in around work, kids, and life.

With the world the way it is right now, many of those barriers have fallen away.

Of course, people worry about what might happen once regular routines begin to return.

How many people might regret their decision to adopt an animal when schedules are crazy again? Probably some, but I would also guess that it's fewer than we might worry.

The important part is to research and not make the decision lightly. If you're not sure you'll be able to care for a dog or cat in six months, you can foster instead. Shelters and rescues are more than happy to help you make the correct decision for you, because ultimately, they want it to be the best decision for the animal too.

If you're considering such a step, reach out to your local community to see which rescues and shelters are open for applications online.

h/t: The Washington Post

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