Over the course of the pandemic, nearly 1 in 5 households adopted a pet, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
And now more than two years removed from the beginning of the pandemic, adoption demand has persisted, remaining at a “very high rate,” said Sarah Bhimani, the communications and public relations producer at the Minnesota-based Animal Humane Society, which has four locations in the Twin Cities.
“Adoption demand has remained high, people love animals. We’re still seeing many people want to adopt even as people go back to work,” Bhimani said.
In 2021 (the last year of complete data) the organization facilitated more than 10,000 adoptions.
(Note: While that is still below pre-pandemic levels, it isn’t because of lack of demand. The organization is housing a considerably smaller amount of animals, roughly 10,000 less per year, mostly due to staffing shortages.)
And while many shelters have seen their surrender rate increase since COVID, that is dogs being returned back to the shelter, the Animal Humane Society has seen it’s levels remain quite steady before and after COVID, Bhimani said. However, the reasons for bringing them back have evolved. Early on in the pandemic, many returned animals because they realized the responsibility was more than they expected, especially as many people returned to work in person. Now, one of the biggest factors is the increased cost to care for animals because of inflation, Bhimani said.
However, that hasn’t stopped demand, especially for a group of 23 beagles that have caught the public's attention. The group of dogs arrived at the organization’s Golden Valley facility on Saturday from the Humane Society of the United States. The dogs were rescued from an unsanitary breeding facility and are currently being prepared for adoption. The puppies, about eight of them, are expected to be ready for adoption within the week. The adult beagles will need more time, Bhimani said, as many of them have health concerns that need to be resolved.
“All our adoptable animals are on the website … that’s when you’ll know the beagles are ready for adoption,” Bhimani said.
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