Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Peri-pandemic pets at greatest risk of relinquishment

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a situation globally where companion animals may be at increased risk of relinquishment and abandonment due to multiple interrelated factors. The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of self-reported adoption and relinquishment of cats and dogs during the pandemic, and to identify characteristics associated with relinquishment. A survey was distributed to 4,000 participants across several countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain and France. N = 3,945 responses were available for analysis. Three groups of participants were identified; Those that never considered relinquishment (NCR), those that have considered relinquishment (CR) and those that have already relinquished a cat or dog (R). Two follow-up surveys were sent to CR and R participants. Considering data from the three surveys, 4.06% of participants considered giving up their pet, 0.74% relinquished their pet, and 0.2% considered and then later give up their pet. Compared to pets given as a gift, there was a 38.7% decreased likelihood of relinquishment in pets sourced from a shelter (P < 0.001), 31.2% decrease in those sourced from a breeder, and a 24.4% decrease in those acquired directly from someone that needed to find a new home for their cat or dog. Compared to owners who acquired their pet > 6 months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, those acquired < 6 months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic were three times more likely to be considered for, or be, given up (P < 0.001) and those acquired after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic were two times more likely to be considered for, or be, given up (P < 0.001). There was a trend for greater likelihood of CR or R of pets acquired online (P = 0.074). Of those that had already given up their pet, 14.3% relinquished to a shelter, 66.7% gave their pet to a new owner and 19% obtained temporary care from someone else. A total of 65.0% of CR participants were male, increasing to 72.2% of R participants. There was no effect of species (cat or dog) on risk of relinquishment. Financial constraints were the most mentioned reason for both giving up a pet and considering giving up a pet, followed by health concerns specific to COVID-19, and behavioral problems. The findings from this study should be used to inform interventions aimed at reducing companion animal relinquishment.

Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experiences of animal rescue staff and volunteers

“…Furthermore, the increase in first time pet-ownership around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic makes education of pet owners of particular importance moving forward (Murphy et al 2022 ). For example, Carroll et al ( 2022 ) found that 63.2% of people that had relinquished a cat or dog were first-time pet owners, suggesting that lack of experience and knowledge may contribute to undesirable outcomes for companion animals. However, owners may possess knowledge of best practice, yet they may not exhibit corresponding behaviour based on this knowledge.…”

“…Furthermore, there is a lack of research into animal rescue staff and volunteer experiences during COVID-19 (Powell et al 2021 ), with most studies focusing on the companion animal owners (e.g. Packer et al 2021 ; Siettou 2021 ; Carroll et al 2022 ).…”

Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Households with children at greatest risk of relinquishing a cat or dog

“…The proportion of cats and dogs being acquired online continues to rise. For example, Carroll et al ( 2022 ) found that, of 3,945 current or previous dog and cat owners sampled in 2020, 39.0 and 26.6%, respectively, acquired their pet online. From data collected in early 2022, the 2022 PAWS report found that 63% of dogs and 43% of cats were acquired from an online source (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals [PDSA] 2022 ).…”

Impact of the 2007–2008 United States Economic Crisis on Pet Ownership

“…Therefore, there could be increased time to care for a companion animal. As adoption availability increases [ 4 ], people who want to adopt but cannot do it due to availability could be more likely to do so after the crisis [ 14 ].…”