In the U.S. people are returning their pandemic pets to shelters and rescues at an alarming rate. Peter Laurie operates one rescue and tells Bloomberg News, “I think that’s going to happen as people gradually returned to offices, start thinking about taking holidays as well.
I think very sadly we’re going to see [people] returning their dogs and cats because a lot of people bought puppies early in the pandemic. Those puppies will have grown into adult dogs now.
Some of those behaviors may be becoming a little bit more challenging [and] now people may be thinking now it’s getting too difficult so sadly, I think we’re gonna see an upturn.”
Julie Bertrand, President of Eastern Ontario Potcake Rescue thinks it’s safe to say that it’s a little different in Canada.
“For example shelters in Texas are still absolutely overrun, this has been the case way before covid. Here in Ontario our shelters have been empty even before covid. However it seems that covid has exacerbated this issue. For example, if you look on the OHS website currently, they have 2 dogs on their sure , both are adoption pending and one cat. This is typical of most shelters. What I think the biggest concern is that people are sourcing puppies from very unreliable sources such as puppy mills ( such as the Ukraine dogs) and these dogs are being sold for THOUSANDS of dollars. These “breeders” are preying on innocent families who don’t know any better,” said Bertrand.
“NO one should EVER pay $6000 for a companion dog!!!! So all this to say, do.your research. Support ethical rescues or breeders, and ensure the dog you choose is the right choice for your family for the next 12-15 years. That’s how of a commitment owning a dog is!!!”
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