In a tragic but predictable trend, as the pandemic begins to wind down and many people go back to work in person, we are seeing a huge wave of pets surrendered to shelters. When government mandated lockdowns began in the U.S. in March of 2020, many people were able to work from home who normally can’t. It seemed like a great opportunity to adopt a new furry companion. At the time, people were warned not to adopt if they knew they couldn’t keep their new family member when the pandemic ended. Apparently they didn’t listen.
Now that case rates are going down, thanks to vaccinations in much of the U.S., people are being called back in to work in person, and as a result, a huge number of new pet-parents are just abandoning their pets. There are reports out of several cities that all the local rescues are totally full and cannot accept any more animals. One person who found a stray and tried to ask a nearby organization to care for it received the advice that her two options were to either adopt the stray or leave it to fend for itself — risking getting hit by a car or starving to death. Sign the petition to demand we collectively help these animals!