Rescue groups say they’re not seeing wave of returned pandemic pets

Animal advocacy and rescue organizations say they have not seen a wave of owners giving up pets adopted during the pandemic as restrictions lift and people return to their offices and social lives. 

Worries about people returning pets they took in while largely confined to their homes have been rampant after news reports suggested the country was seeing a surge of owners abandoning their pets as coronavirus rules began to relax.

But overall, data and animal welfare groups say owners are largely keeping the pets they adopted during the pandemic. 

A poll released Wednesday by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found a vast majority of owners who adopted during the pandemic kept their pet. 

The “nationally representative” survey found that 90 percent of households that adopted a dog and 85 percent of households that adopted a cat since March 2020 still have their pets. 

A total of 87 percent of current dog and cat owners said they would not currently consider rehoming their pet in the next three months.

A survey from 24PetWatch of almost 1,200 shelters and rescues determined that the rates of owners giving up their pets “are actually down” compared to regular levels in 2019 before the pandemic, according to Best Friends Animal Society. 

Brent Toellner, the senior director of national programs for Best Friends Animal Society, said the data shows “more of a returning back to normalcy” for shelters instead of a “post-pandemic boom,” which he said he doesn’t expect to happen.

“I think it’s foolhardy to underestimate the connection that people have with their pets, and people go through a lot of lengths to keep that connection in place,” he said.

The vast majority of people who adopted pets last year, 93 percent, said their animals improved their mental and/or physical well-being in the past year, according to a March survey from Rover.com. 

But, Toellner added, “It’s really important for people in communities that have shelters that are struggling — that now would be a really good time to go out and adopt or foster at your local shelter.”

According to 24PetWatch, owner surrenders of pets increased 82.6 percent, and pet returns jumped 50 percent, in April 2021.

Shelters and rescue groups define pet surrenders as when owners give up their pet to a shelter, while pet returns are more specifically referring to when an animal is taken back to the same shelter they were adopted from.  

Those look like big spikes, but it’s a comparison of April 2021 and April 2020, when most of the country was locked down in their homes and many shelters limited operations, lowering any returns or surrenders. 

Pet returns and surrenders in April 2021 were 30 percent and 12.5 percent lower than April 2019 levels, respectively, when both rates were considered to be in line with previous years.

A spokesperson for the ASPCA said in a statement that the group has not seen a boost in pets given up to its adoption center in New York City. Alexander Craig also said the organization’s conversations with professionals across the country have not indicated an increase of pets taken back on a national level. 

At the same time, Craig acknowledged uncertain times bring higher risks of owners not being able to care for their pets and deciding to give them up. 

“As there is always a risk that pet owners will not be able to provide adequate care for their pets during any crisis or disaster situation, it’s important for people, shelters, and communities to prepare for any animal welfare consequences that may result from this ongoing crisis,” the statement said. 

There are some exceptions, with some shelters and rescue organizations across the country experiencing increased animal intakes that workers connect to lifted coronavirus restrictions.

Lauree Simmons, the founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida, said her organization itself has not seen a recent rise in pet returns.

But she said rural shelters her group works with in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas have taken in a surge of animals over the past few weeks, which workers say is because owners are returning to in-person work and don’t think they have time to care for the pet. 

“It breaks my heart that here this dog gets rescued, gets comfortable at a home and now it’s just tossed out like yesterday’s news,” she said.

“They should be treated like a family member,” Simmons added. “You wouldn’t toss out your kid if you went back to work. You shouldn’t toss out your dog.”

In response, Big Dog Ranch Rescue plans to visit shelters across several states this summer. Last year, as people gave up pets after losing jobs and not being able to afford caring for them, the organization rescued almost 400 dogs from 37 shelters in seven states.  

Dawn Pennington, the rescue coordinator at one of these shelters, Kershaw County Humane Society in South Carolina, said they had taken in 90 animals in four days amid the rising intake. 

“We’re suffering because we’re getting the intakes now from COVID, and we have the lack of people coming into the building to adopt because they haven’t been able to come in to adopt,” she said.

The Moms and Mutts Colorado Rescue (MAMCO) reported an influx in dogs being given back this year, as 62 pets were turned in through the last week of February, with 39 of those dogs being adopted between March and July 2020. Usually, in 12 months, the rescue organization sees 50 pets given back. 

Katie Mahaney, the medical director of MAMCO Rescue, said these transitions away from an owner are “really stressful” on the dog, citing one pet who was dropped off for being too large and who “cried and cried and cried” in their office. 

“I think if we could use some of this as a teachable moment, it would be good,” she said. “Adopters should make a list of their expectations for the pet prior to adopting: what kind of energy level they want, what needs am I expecting this dog to meet emotionally or physically.”

But these shelters and rescue organizations are the exception, said Hannah Stember, a Best Friends Animal Society spokesperson. She said the nonprofit has heard of “isolated situations” of surges of animals being given up. 

“We can speak to data on a national level, but not every shelter/organization/community is the same,” she said. “So, while there are no doubt isolated instances that are different, they are currently the exception to the rule based on what we see in the data from our partners at 24PetWatch.”

This story was updated at 9 a.m.