Animal adoptions slow down for first time since start of pandemic: BC SPCA

The number of people interested in adopting a pet has taken a nosedive in recent months. The BC SPCA is reporting a slowdown in adoptions, for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the height of the pandemic — when people were spending a lot more time at home — the organization says it was flooded with applications for adoption.

“People sought the companionship and comfort of a pet to help them cope with the social isolation,” the BC SPCA said.

Lorie Chortyk with the BC SPCA says they would sometimes get as many as 100 calls within 24 hours interested in a puppy. That interest, she says, has remained strong until now.

“We currently have more than 1,500 animals in our care — about 700 in our shelters and the rest in volunteer foster homes,” Chortyk said.

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Other shelters have noticed the same trend. According to the City of Coquitlam, there was a point in time during the pandemic where there were no animals in need of adoption.

“Dogs, it was very hard to find a dog during the pandemic,” Animal Services Manager Aaron Hilgerdenaar told CityNews on Monday. “Now that things are starting back up, in terms of people going back to work, we’re finding that thirst for adding an animal to their family has kind of subsided.”

While the demand for adopted pets has waned, the BC SPCA emphasizes it did not see a significant increase in the number of animals surrendered to its care.

“We did not see this particular trend in our facilities, but we always have a lot of animals coming into our care on a daily basis through cruelty investigations, animal abandonment, or strays who go unclaimed,” Chortyk said.

She adds while they typically see an influx of kittens in need of homes during the summer months, they have several other animals also waiting to go to their forever homes.

“We currently have 110 rabbits available for adoption — more than twice the number we had at this time of year, as well as guinea pigs, hamsters and other small animals, horses and farm animals such as goats, pigs, and chickens.”

Anyone interested in adopting through the BC SPCA is asked to go online to view the animals in need of a good home.