How COVID-19 Helped With Animal Adoptions

Here at Sparky Steps, we know that having a furry companion was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. But, many families or individuals who have often dreamt of wanting a furry friend had a few daunting reasons for not joining pet parenthood.

Two popular reasons people tend to opt out of fostering or adopting are work and travel. It is understandable that someone who travels for work often may not be the best contestant for a new pet. But back in March 2020, our nation was hit with arguably one of the most life-changing pandemics - COVID-19. While the negative impact is not to be taken lightly, it did provide a positive effect to our animal shelters, and that is the stay at home order helped more animals find their fur-ever homes.

A stay at home order was placed in March 2020 and we are still experiencing restrictions with retail, restaurants, work, and more. With all of this time spent alone or inside homes, many people took the leap and decided to add a new pet.

I interviewed a Chicago resident, Allison Donnelly, about her decision to adopt a puppy during COVID-19.  Like many others, Allison Donnelly decided that now is the perfect time for her and her husband to get a puppy. I asked her what made her make the move, and Donnelly said, “I have always wanted a dog, but it never seemed like a good time because of my travel schedule with work. Now that we have all this time at home all day, it seemed like the perfect time to get a puppy!”

Pictured above is Roscoe Donnelly.

Like Roscoe, many people were finding now the right time to adopt. According to a shelter in Morton Grove, Illinois, Wright-Way animal rescue received double amount adoption applications in just one month. From March 2020 to April 2020, the shelter received 6,600 applications. Now that is a bark-load of love that arguably only happened because of the stay at home order.

Did you or someone you know adopt during COVID-19? Sparky Steps wants to hear your story!

 Feel free to contact us on our site, or tag us in some photos on Facebook or Instagram!

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