New Report on Surge in COVID-19 Pandemic Pet Adoptions Finds New Pet Parents Feel Healthier
Getty Dog at home
Pet adoption has seen quite the boost over the COVID-19 pandemic. So it's no secret that many have turned to furry friends to keep them company while, in the meantime, giving cats and dogs a loving home.
A new report from Rover.com, which polled 1,000 pet owners, explores who has welcomed new pets into their homes since last March. Only 13% of those polled said their new pandemic pet is their only animal, compared to 66% who already had a cat or a dog in their home when they adopted an animal over the past year.
Fifty-three percent of survey-takers who adopted a pet in the last 12 months adopted a dog, while 32% took in a cat and 14% adopted a dog and a cat.
Of those who gave these animals a home, 26% got them from breeders, while the vast majority (64%) adopted from either a nonprofit or rescue group (40%) or another family (24%).
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Rover.com Rover.com's survey results
Other findings include that more than half of those surveyed (54%) adjusted their budgets to fit the expenses that come with caring for a new pet.
And the investment, both financially and otherwise, has seemingly paid off for the new pet parents polled (most of whom are millennials).
According to Rover.com, "93% of people said their 'pandemic pet' improved their mental and/or physical wellbeing in the last year and over 80% said it made working from home and being at home during the pandemic more enjoyable."
"The top two reasons why people adopted a cat or dog in the last year are for emotional support and happiness (41%) [and because] they needed something positive in their life (39%)," the group added.
Getty Cat at home
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Personal fulfillment aside, respondents also found they feel apprehensive about what will happen to their pets' behaviors as humans transition back into a less-at-home life.
"Nearly half of those surveyed (40%) reported they were anxious about going back to in-person work and leaving their pet at home," Rover.com stated, adding that 20% of poll participants "have already left their pet during the day to go to work and another 43% think they will commute away from their pet for the first time sometime between now and June."
Over the next six months, "83% of pet owners will spend as much or more on pet care," the site says, while "47% will spend more. Among millennial pet owners, 52% plan to spend more."
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