Demand remains high for pet adoptions during pandemic
Gianna Masini spent the first several months of the pandemic feeling isolated in her Philadelphia apartment. She and her boyfriend had talked about getting a dog for a while, but it never seemed to be the right time – until the coronavirus upended everyone’s lives and Masini found out she would be working from home for the indefinite future.
In August, Masini, 24, drove out on a whim to the Brandywine Valley SPCA in West Chester and fell in love with Maui, a German shepherd-mix puppy.
“He’s great for the loneliness,” she said, “and he’s been really a good deterrent” against street harassment and people who aren’t keeping a six-foot social distance on the pair’s regular walks.
Had it not been for the pandemic, Masini, who works in digital marketing, said she would likely still be without a dog, living a life absent of nips during Zoom calls and destroyed toys strewn about the floor, but also one without Maui’s adorable face that melts her heart even when he misbehaves.
Masini is one of the many Philadelphiaarea residents who have turned to canine and feline companionship to get through the pandemic.
Animal shelters and rescue organizations say dogs and cats are still being adopted far more quickly than usual. The uptick in fosters and adoptions began when the pandemic struck in March, and the demand has not ceased nearly a year later. While puppies and kittens are always popular, now dogs and cats of all ages are in high demand.
But do not fear, the shelters note, there are dogs and cats up for adoption if wouldbe owners are willing to be patient and flexible.
Nationally since March, monthly dog adoptions have increased compared with the same months in 2019, according to the COVID-19 report from the national database of sheltered animal statistics, Shelter Animals Count.
The pandemic “has been really rough for everyone, but for shelter animals, it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to them,” said Justina Calgiano, director of advancement and public relations at Providence Animal Center.
Shelters have overcome challenges, too. Providence Animal Center stopped accepting animals for about a month when the pandemic hit. They began doing appointment-only adoptions in early summer. Time slots were often booked 10 days in advance, she said, and last month they logged 16 adoptions on a Sunday, a num
ber normally common only in their busiest adoption month, December, in pre-pandemic times.
In mid-January, Providence temporarily closed for two weeks after staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Other shelters have also dealt with these setbacks, too.
Unlike some facilities in the region, Providence Animal Center does not have more empty kennels than usual, Calgiano said. The staff is facilitating more frequent transports from high-kill shelters, she said, and people are still surrendering animals, at about the same rates as pre-pandemic.
At Brandywine Valley SPCA, which has several open-admission shelters in West Chester and Delaware, adoptions were up 15% in 2020 compared with 2019, said marketing director Linda Torelli. At the same time, with people spending far more time at home than usual, the organization is seeing fewer lost and stray animals coming in, she added.
“Our shelters are definitely emptier than they have been in past years,” Torelli said.
Like Providence, Brandywine Valley SPCA works with shelters in the South, where there are more stray animals because the warmer climate elongates the mating season, fewer dogs and cats are spayed or neutered, and there are fewer resources and less funding for animal-saving efforts.
Last month, about 90 dogs were flown to Delaware from an overwhelmed Louisiana shelter, where some Brandywine Valley staff are completing a yearlong “embed” program to help the facility.
So while adoptions may be up, people interested in getting a rescue dog should not be dissuaded, Torelli said.
“If someone is going to adopt, it may just take a couple times of stopping by the shelter,” she said. “There are still animals to be saved. That’s for sure.”
At Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center in Blackwood, the open-admission shelter is caring for about 20% fewer animals than pre-pandemic, said director of development Gina DiMarco. Homeward Bound’s foster network has also increased, she said, as some people want to help in the short term but know their post-pandemic life might not be ideal for a pet.
It’s not just the dog or cat that benefits when they get adopted or fostered, DiMarco said.
“You have people who are so lonely and they’re looking for that companionship,” she said. “Feeling as though they’re making something good come out of this negative situation is really hopeful for folks.”
Many people who adopted during the pandemic told shelter staff they’d been thinking about getting a pet for months or years, Torelli said, so she wasn’t worried about a high return rate.
BECAUSE OF COVID, MY DAD WAS UNABLE TO PAY FOR MY TUITION FEES THIS SEMESTER. I’M SET TO GRADUATE IN THE SUMMER
... AND WE WERE NOT READY TO
GIVE UP.
Kaishi Chhabra, Michigan State University international student
Michigan State University international student Kaishi Chhabra was shocked to find out her roommate had set up a GoFundMe account to help her avoid deportation.
“If she is unable to finance this semester, she will be disenrolled and forced to leave the United States immediately,” stated Chhabra’s roommate, Emily Bevard.
Chhabra came to MSU from a third-world country to study journalism. Her father became unable to support her tuition fees due to a financial crisis back home. She declined to say where she is from because it would pose a threat to her family.
of COVID, my dad was unable to pay for my tuition fees this semester. I’m set to graduate in the summer, this is my last semester and we were not ready to give up,” Chhabra said. “I was not initially aware that my roommate had created a GoFundMe for me.”
Bevard created the GoFundMe account and sent Chhabra the link after sharing it on Facebook.
“It was a last ditch effort that I kind of put together,” Bevard said. “I was kind of just hoping that people would see it and do things, but I don’t think either of us really thought that it would do much.”
Chhabra and Bevard both work for the student newspaper at Michigan State, The State News. Their newspaper cowork“Because ers shared the post and it reach a larger audience.
“Then it kind of got to the alumni,” Bevard said. “A lot of people were sharing it from there, and it kicked off a lot and it was way more helpful than I even thought it could have been.”
Many private donors from MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences and the financial aid department began offering Chhabra larger endowed scholarships and grants, allowing her to lower the GoFundMe goal from $20,000 to $4,000, she said.
Chhabra surpassed her GoFundMe goal, raising $4,700.
“I didn’t expect that to happen. What really helped was that a lot of people were endorsing me and supporting journalism students…. and a lot of people started like donating in huge amounts,” Chhabra said. “I’m not the only international student who’s feeling this way or going through these problems. I just had an amazing roommate who was willing to help me out.”
After graduation, Chhabra said she would like to find a good internship or a job that will allow her to convert her student visa into a work visa.
“If the opportunity arises and I’m offered a good position somewhere, I would love to stay here and you know just do my part and give back to the community that helped me. So I would definitely like want to like, you know, able to share stories about people like me, and make sure it’s heard by the right people.”
COLUMBUS, OHIO
Six more people linked to the far-right Oath Keepers militia group have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, authorities said Friday.
The case against those affiliated with the Oath Keepers is the largest conspiracy case brought by the U.S. Justice Department so far in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The six new people arrested this week are indicted alongside three others who were charged last month with plotting to undo President Joe Biden’s victory.
Authorities say the defendants prepared for weeks ahead of the attack, attended training sessions and recruited others. They donned tactical vests and helmets, moved in an organized fashion as they advanced on the Capitol and communicated with one another during the siege, prosecutors say. Several defendants formed a “stack” formation used by military infantrymen, marching the Capitol steps with their hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them, authorities said.
The new arrests include an Ohio couple, Sandra and Bennie Parker. The others facing charges are: Graydon Young of Englewood, Florida; his sister, Laura Steele of Thomasville, North Carolina; Kelly Meggs and his wife, Connie Meggs, of Dunnellon, Florida.
Kelly Meggs, who authorities say is the leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, wrote in a Facebook message in December: “Trump said It’s gonna be wild !!!!!!! It’s gonna be wild !!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!!,” according to court documents.
Later that month, authorities say Young reached out to a company that does firearms and combat training about a rifle class for four people, according to the indictment.
Authorities say Bennie Parker was in contact with an Oath Keepers member who was arrested last month, Jessica Watkins, leading up to the trip to Washington, discussing things like the uniforms and gear they would bring on Jan. 6. Authorities say Sandra Parker entered the Capitol while her husband stayed in contact outside.
On Jan. 9, Watkins told Bennie Parker by text she thought the FBI was only interested in people “who destroyed things,” according to the complaint.
“I’m sure they’re not on us see some pics but no militia,” Bennie Parker responded.
Another man charged last month in the case, Thomas Caldwell, suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River, authorities have said. Caldwell’s lawyer has called the indictment “imaginative.”
Messages seeking comment on the charges were sent Friday to lawyers for the defendants.
To date, federal charges have been filed in more than 200 cases involving the attack by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump, including many with ties to far right groups like the Oath Keepers. Several members of the Proud Boys, a far-right, male-chauvinist extremist group that seized on the Trump administration’s policies, have also been charged with conspiracy and accused of working together during the siege.