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  2021-08-12

  Charleston Animal Society working to get exotic pets adopted as shelters hit breaking point

  NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Thousands of animals across South Carolina are in need of adoption including some more exotic options you may not think about taking home with you at the Charleston Animal Society. “Right now, we have a bearded dragon which is a very cool lizard and they have special needs, special diet as well as two bunnies, and two guinea pigs, so that’s a lot of animals that are extra care at the Charleston Animal Society as well as needing homes,” said Kay Hyman who is the director of community engagement at Charleston Animal Society
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  2020-04-19

  The call has been answered

  The article discusses the surge of pet adoptions from shelters during the pandemic.
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  2021-02-04

  Exotic Birds Rescued During the Pandemic

  As a parrot owner myself, this story is near and dear to my heart. Amid the national news headlines of dog and cat adoptions sweeping the nation during the pandemic, the opposite is true for our feathered friends. Parrots require a great deal of time, care, money, and space. Most birds easily outlive dogs and cats, and the larger ones often outlive their owners. Parrots can be loud, demanding and messy. They don't respect that you are in a zoom meeting with the CEO or that your neighbor's baby is asleep in the apartment on the other side of the wall. With people working from home, losing income, and/or being hospitalized or passing away from COVID-19, many parrots have been surrendered to rescues.
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  2021-05-08

  US dog shelters struggle with returns after pandemic adoption boom - BBC News

  This story from the BBC talks about how many dogs adopted during the pandemic are being returned to shelters once life returns to normal. Some adopters did not think ahead or understand all the implications of pet ownership. This is a traumatic experience for these poor animals. Also fewer dogs were neutered/spayed during the pandemic, so there is an uptick in the number of puppies needing homes.
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  2020

  Pet Adoption Statistics 2020

  We heard so many wonderful and uplifting stories of pet adoption during the pandemic. If you wanted a dog, particularly a puppy, you most likely had to sit on a waiting list to get one. This anecdotal evidence points toward a huge increase in pet adoption, but what do the numbers tell us? This data report from PetPoint, who has been tracking pet surrender and adoption data nationwide since 2005, paints a slightly different picture. Pet surrenders reduced significantly, so there just weren't as many pets in need of adoption. Pet adoption percentages actually decreased in 2020 from 2019. So the pet adoption boon that we imagined was happening, was not the miracle story that animal enthusiasts were hoping for. As we emerge from the pandemic it will be interesting to look at the final report at the end of 2021 to see if there is a drastic increase in surrenders as many shelters are anticipating.
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  2021-05-13

  Pandemic Pets Return to Shelters

  Sadly, as the nation returns to work and activities, pets adopted during the pandemic are paying the price. According to the article, owner surrenders are up more than 80% from this time last year. People did not think far enough ahead about what would happen once the pandemic was over. Now its the poor animals who have to pay the price. When will people learn that animals are not toys to be thrown away when it becomes inconvenient?