If the past year had a label — aside from the year of a global health crisis — it’d probably be recalled as the most time any of us have ever spent with our pet(s). While humans recoiled at the thought of quarantine, dogs rejoiced at their new walk schedule and cats knocked things over in retaliation. As COVID regulations continued the feeling of isolation sunk deeper, and those without the comfort of an animal soon ached for companionship.
“We often receive tens of applications for a single animal and, in the case of puppies in particular, we have often received hundreds of applications for a single pup,” Melissa Treuman, the Director of Brand Communications for Bideawee said.
senior-to-senior program. Photo courtesy Kate McEntee
Since the start of the pandemic, demand for adoptions skyrocketed. But early travel restrictions limited rescues from southern states and Puerto Rico, which made transporting the animals laborious. Executive Director Scott Howe of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF) explained, “We found different ways to do transport and work with different kinds of partners. At the end of the day, I have to keep my staff and their families safe and make sure we have people healthy here who can care for the animals.”
Bideawee’s three locations — Manhattan, Wantagh, and Westhampton — saw a drop by nearly 35 percent, year-over-year, due to the increase in demand and decrease in transport. However, fostering, which provides animals with temporary care and housing, increased for the organization by approximately 63 percent.
“This was particularly key in the early days of the shut down when we were able to place all of New York City shelter animals in foster care until we were able to organize our COVID procedures. We received hundreds of applications for fostering,” Treuman said. “So many that we had to shut the application down for several months because we did not have enough animals to meet the demand. This was a significant bright spot amidst the challenges as we were able to significantly grow our foster program which is now a key part of our adoption program.”
Foster’s are a fundamental cornerstone to a shelter’s operations. The animals are given a warm, loving home, where they learn to socialize, while shelters are able to free up space for new rescues. “Humans are biologically predisposed to feel a deep connection with animals because they have been essential to our survival for millions of years,” Dr. Katie Lawlor, a clinical psychologist at the Veterinary Mental Health and Resiliency Group in San Francisco explained.
Oftentimes, foster animals become “foster fails,” meaning they are permanently adopted by their host family. Over the course of the pandemic, older and senior pets, those overlooked for months or years, benefitted most with the highest rate of fosters and permanent adoptions. ARF in particular proudly announced that two of its longest term dog residents are now in the comfort of a new home.
But the aftermath of COVID isn’t quite over. For a brief time in spring 2020, due to limits on protective equipment, trap-neuter-release programs, those used to control the feral cat population, were suspended. Although TNR practices resumed by June, the reproduction rate of feral cats during that time could lead to an upcoming surge in litters. As springtime approaches, shelters expect a tremendous need for kitten fosters in particular, a direct result of the pandemic.
“Cats that go through TNR programs are healthier to have around and can no longer reproduce. We also help support the feral cats so if one were to get sick or injured we can treat and care for them at our facility,” Kate McEntee, Director of Adoptions at Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation said of its Advo-Cat Program. “Adult feral cats are trapped, neutered/spayed, vaccinated and returned to their colonies unable to reproduce. Kittens are taken in and socialized in foster homes and eventually adopted. They are also altered and vaccinated prior to adoption.”
Although the adoption process has changed — staff members go through temperature checks, everyone is required to wear a mask, and social distancing has led to appointment based visits — shelters are adapting. “We’re evolving as needs evolve,” Howe said, noting ARF’s virtual efforts of a dog walk, gala, and the in-person ARF Thrift Shop in Sagaponack. “Our community and supporters have been fantastic.”
To help facilitate the adoption process, SASF offers scheduled or virtual visits in its cat patios (catios) and introduced Roadside Adoptions and Fosters, “a program designed to help pets find their foster and forever homes in a sanitary, social-distance-friendly fashion,” McEntee said. The program includes a curbside introduction between human and pet, all pet supplies provided, and, for those with a pet at home, the ability to bring along existing animals to meet in a large area to observe how they interact.
Despite the new hurdles of the adoption process, pet ownership has proven to be the silver lining during troubling times, not only for the animals but for humans as well. “Pets provide us comfort and security during this pandemic-imposed time of isolation and uncertainty. Specifically, we perceive our pets as calming influences that provide us with a sense of stability throughout our daily routine,” Dr. Lawlor continued, “This becomes critically important if that routine has been impacted by the pandemic or if we have recently lost a loved one. Their presence fosters an increase in confidence levels and perceived personal safety.”
Those who work or volunteer at animal shelters also benefit from simply interacting with the animals, which leads to decreased depression, symptoms of anxiety, and feelings of loneliness while increasing emotional and social support. Individuals living alone also find that pet ownership provides a sense of purpose and reason to remain active.
“Our goal as a team, as a staff, would be that our animals never know the difference between life before the pandemic, here at the shelter, and life after,” concluded Howe. “That’s our commitment this whole time. The great care that happens hasn’t stopped.”