Still plenty of pets available despite pandemic surge

AURORA, COLO.» It’s not unusual to see baby booms after snowstorms, hurricanes and other natural disasters that keep humans confined to close quarters for extended periods of time.

Now, the prolonged hibernation spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced weary residents to a new production phenomenon: pandemic pets.

The number of paws per home has increased in recent months as families and singles have grappled with life largely confined to walls and roofs, experts have said. And the metro area hasn’t been immune to the craze, though officials were nervous that poorly thought-out adoptions were going to result in a wave of orphaned animals showing up at local shelters this summer.

At the beginning of the pandemic, when layoffs were skyrocketing, Karen Martiny, founder of Animal Rescue of the Rockies, was concerned local shelters would see more people dropping off their pets, unable to care for them.

“That wasn’t the case at all,” said Martiny, who started the rescue in 2003. In fact, pet rescues say they’ve seen substantial increases in adoptions because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Everybody seems to want a dog or cat, and that’s been good news for rescues that work to find animals forever homes.

From January through July last year, Animal Rescue of the Rockies adopted out 1,872 pets. During the same time frame this year the rescue found homes for 1,201 pets. Martiny said if the momentum keeps up, her organization will surely surpass last year’s total.

The same is true for Richard Bankey, who runs the Colorado division of the Taysia Blue Rescue. They specialize in rescuing Siberian huskies and malamutes.

Last year, the rescue homed 54 dogs in Colorado. This year they’re already at number 56. Headlines across the country have highlighted a so-called pet shortage, fueled by the pandemic and people spending a lot of time at home. But here in the Denver metro region, Martiny said it’s easy to find a cat or a dog.

“There’s always a need,” she said.

People looking for specific breeds or young puppies may run into wait lists, but her rescue and others like it are currently able to help more and more animals.

The more challenging factor so far, at least for Bankey and Martiny, is finding foster families for dogs before they move onto their forever families.

“We really have to rely on them,” Bankey said.

That’s especially true now. At the Aurora Animal Shelter on East 32nd Avenue, pens are replete with labs, mixed bull terriers and toy breeds, according to Anthony Youngblood, manager of the city’s Animal Services Division.

“We constantly have labs or American Bulldogs or pitty mixes,” Youngblood said of the shelter, which typically houses upwards of 100 animals at any given time. “And we have little dogs galore, getting into the Maltese, Chihuahuas, etc.”