LIFESTYLE
Increased loneliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic creates dog adoption problems Some people forced to search for adoptable pets in all the wrong places
MADASYN KOST mkost@cjournal.ca
Dogs, especially large breeds are being left unadopted amid a small dog boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. PHOTO: SASHA SASHINA/UPSPLASH
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he coronavirus pandemic has meant a new level of loneliness for many people, causing a spike of dog adoptions around the province. Unfortunately, with the increased interest in adoption, the availability of dogs, especially small ones has become limited. This is causing intense frustration and forcing people to search for pets from less reputable places, as the prices for those animals are jacked-up. The lockdowns and new rules restricting people from seeing friends and family has caused an increase in depression and anxiety for a lot of people. According to a report by CAMH “several studies have linked the experience of quarantine to symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress, sometimes with long-term effects.”
16 MAY/JUNE 2021
CALGARYJOURNAL.CA
In fact, Statistics Canada states 52 percent of participants in a survey conducted between April 24 to May 11, 2020, “indicated that their mental health was either ‘somewhat worse’ or ‘much worse’” due to social distancing. In this environment, increased pet adoptions aren’t surprising. A recent study by researchers at the University of York and the University of Lincoln “found that having a pet was linked to maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness.” The study also stated 90 percent of respondents felt their pets gave them a sense of comfort and 96 per cent felt that having a pet allowed them to get outdoors and stay active. Moreover, Gail Groeneveld, who runs Prairie Doodles and has been breeding Australian Labradoodles since
2004, says the pandemic has created excellent conditions to get a dog. “For the puppy stage, this is a real Win Win, because as the dog gets older, they’re okay staying home while you go to work, ” said Groeneveld. Jessica Bohrson, senior manager of communications at the Calgary Humane Society, says they’ve seen a wide array of animals being adopted. “We’ve had all kinds of guys going home in the last month, snakes and gerbils and mice and hamsters, cats, dogs, birds, fish,” said Bohrson. But, among all these animal adoptions, the rate of dogs being adopted has skyrocketed. According to Debra Therrien, founder of BARCS Rescue, the amount of dog adoptions almost doubled from 2019, with 220 adoptions in 2019 and a whopping 401 in 2020.
