The issue stems from pet owners adopting pets to help break up the monotony of being stuck in their house all the time. As restrictions ease, many pet parents may find themselves not needing that distraction anymore. 

“We’re starting to see now what we think will be a longer-term trend of some of those pandemic pets, if you want to call them that, starting to be given up,” said Peter Laurie, Chief Executive of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London during an interview with Bloomberg Quicktake.

Approximately 6.5 million cats and dogs are given to shelters across the country with 1.5 million pets euthanized in shelters annually.

Thanks largely to the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS), Jacksonville became America’s largest no-kill city in 2014. The organization is a shelter where pet parents can safely drop off their unwanted pets; a better alternative to abandoning or euthanizing them. JHS works to rehome pets and provide veterinary care. 

Reflecting back, pets were one of the better parts of the pandemic but Americans must take care to not abandon them as life returns to normal.

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