Few local pandemic pets being given back
After receiving inquires from concerned residents regarding national news stories about pet owners returning pets adopted during the pandemic, Humane Society of Boulder Valley checked the data and reported previously adopted pets are not being returned to its shelter as the pandemic nears an end.
“We are not seeing previously adopted pets being returned at alarming rates as some news reports stated,” Humane Society of Boulder Valley CEO Jan Mchughsmith said. “However, we are seeing a near record low of pets being relinquished as a result of what we call COVID-19 bonding.”
Mchugh-smith said lockdowns and extended lengths of time at home allowed pets and owners to bond more quickly and in more meaningful ways, but that a number of shelter programs in Boulder County and around the state also supported higher pet retention rates and lower pet surrender, or return, rates.
For example, the nonprofit’s Keeping Pets plus People Together initiative within the nonprofit’s Temporary Pet Housing program allowed residents the opportunity to house pets temporarily at the shelter during the pandemic, which led to higher pet retention rates. This program is made possible through donations to the shelter and is available for residents experiencing medical emergencies, victims of domestic violence and residents displaced from their homes because of natural disasters. The shelter also considers including other pets in its temporary housing program on a case-by-case basis as space is available.
One success story was that of a dog dad and his rescue pup Frasier, who utilized resources available at the shelter which ultimately allowed both to get medical attention during the pandemic before being reunited.
“(The dog dad) really needed some medical attention as he became seriously ill during the pandemic — but he refused to get it because he did not want to leave Frasier, his Jack Russell Terrier,” Humane Society spokeswoman Jennifer Fine said.
Mchugh-smith explained that “eventually (he) reached out to our shelter to see what options were available, and very quickly we knew we would help him and Frasier through our Safety Net Services program, which provided Frasier free room and board while (his dog dad) got better in the hospital.”
According to data Mchughsmith provided from the local, state and national Humane Society databases, pet surrenders are down 17% in Boulder County. She also mentioned that data indicates pet returns, which are pets previously adopted but later returned, are down nearly 3 percentage points when comparing the first six months of 2019 with the first six months of 2021.
“For the last 15 months, there was a significant surge in pet adoptions, but only 6.5% of those pets adopted through our shelter have been returned,” Mchughsmith explained.
The Humane Society of Colorado reported its shelters adopt about 20,000 pets annually. However, in 2020 that number was nearly double, and shelters frequently had fewer adoptable pets than normal.
In Boulder, about 100 more pets available for adoption went home to families in 2020 than in 2019. In Longmont, approximately 40 more pets available for adoption went home to families in 2020 than in 2019.
“We believe the pandemic — although horrible and changed everyone’s lives — had an unintentional but substantial impact on pet parents and shelter pets because the last 15 months allowed for a stronger bond to form between owner and pet,” Mchughsmith said.
“This is partially why pet owners are reporting to be least likely to return an adopted pet during the pandemic months.”