DES MOINES, Iowa — Staying indoors during a pandemic is made a lot easier if you have a companion by your side; especially if they have four legs. Because of that, pet adoptions are through the roof, and are even on pace to break records.
With the growing need to isolate, more and more people are bringing a furry friend into their homes. According to Stehanie Filer, Director of Development at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, the months leading up to and during the pandemic saw a big boost in numbers.
"We had a record setting January and February, but March and so far April have totally blown it out of the water," Filer said.
Even this past weekend saw a pretty big uptick.
"We had a 170-some appointments over the weekend and adopted almost 70 animals," Filer said. "It's been very, very rewarding, but also a lot of work keeping up with it. But all great for the animals."
The ARL says the numbers are up as much as 20 percent from normal. Filer says a big reason for the uptick in adoptions is because more and more people are self-isolating and just want some company.
"A lot of times it's people who have always been thinking about wanting to get a pet, and maybe the time wasn't right," Filer said. "And now they're looking at this, like, maybe this is their sign of pulling the trigger on something they've always wanted to do."
The adoption facilities are overseeing the adoptions safely, of course. Meet and greets are by appointment only to limit the amount of traffic inside the facility.
The little fluffballs are going fast, so if you want to jump on the opportunity, you'd better act fast.