Pet adoptions during COVID: Myths and reality

 

That was then.

Washington Post, 8/12/2020

This is now.

Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/25/2021

Some veterinarians say one reason for the uptick in demand is likely that more people got pets while hunkered down at home. But data from the Humane Society in Minnesota and a national veterinary organization indicate a pandemic pet boom may be overstated. 

[snip]

Nationally, the approximate 2.3 million animals adopted in 2020 from more than 4,000 shelters was the lowest number in five years, according to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The decrease likely was because COVID restrictions slowed the adoption process, fewer animals were available in part because the number of people who relinquished pets was down and animal control was less active in picking up strays, according to the journal article.