Big rise in adoptions as rescue animals find their forever homes

Since the COVID-19 crisis, there has been a big rise in rescue dog adoptions as people look to man’s best friend for some isolation company and a reason to get out for a daily walk. But it’s not just dogs.

Louise Coleman’s eight-year-old son, Xavier, has been asking for a pet cat for years. When the threat of the coronavirus started to loom, Coleman decided to bite the bullet. “I told my friends that I’d ‘panic-bought a cat’,” she laughs.

Coleman adopted the kitten, now named Leonardo, from Blacktown Animal Holding Facility. “A rescue was the only option for me as there are so many stray and abandoned animals that need a loving home,” she says.

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Although she always intended to get a pet for Xavier at some point, rumblings of an “imminent lockdown” spurred her into action.

“Xavier has already had his birthday party postponed indefinitely, and if we are in total lockdown I have to think of ways to make his birthday special. If we are in isolation for a while, a kitten will be a good distraction for both of us,” she says.

Coleman is far from alone. Pet rescue organisations such as the RSPCA say that adoptions have increased by 40 per cent in the past week.

Smaller operations such as Penny Marathon have also seen a rise in inquiries. “[Cats] Penelope and Hera received zero inquires prior to the [pandemic], now they get at least two a day,” says Ellie Prodromou.

Jodie Blewitt says she’d been thinking of getting a cat for a while, but the escalating pandemic spurred her to take action. “I could see the writing on the wall of potential lockdown. It felt like the perfect time to settle in a new pet,” she says.

Blewitt adopted Penelope, a four-month-old kitten, from a local shelter.

“She loves cuddles and wrapping herself around my legs as I’m trying to walk – it’s really sweet. We’re starting to get into a routine and I must admit it’s nice to have a bit of a schedule otherwise I might be tempted to spend all day in my PJs on the couch watching Netflix”.

Having a kitten around has helped Blewitt deal with the stress of the pandemic. “Having Penelope here has given me something else to focus on other than COVID-19 and all of the uncertainty it brings. She’s great company and is already making me feel less alone.”

It’s not just shelters that are seeing a rise in adoptions. Jody O’Connell rescued a rabbit, Snowball, from Rain, Hayne & Shine farm in Victoria who usually welcome groups of school and pre-school children. When the farm had to close their doors, they asked locals to re-home some of their animals.

“We were initially going to get a dog but when I saw the post on Facebook from Rain, Hayne & Shine, and given the current pandemic, I knew right away that I had to get a rabbit for the kids to play with,” says O’Connell.

“Spending weeks in isolation and not being able to take them anywhere these school holidays, [I thought] Snowball would help the kids and me get through this stressful time.”

O’Connell says Snowball has proved to be an ideal pet for her three children. “He is a great pet particularly because he has come from a petting farm so he is used to being handled by people. The kids love him,” she says.

“Apart from him eating all my hibiscus leaves in the garden, he has been great to have around.”

Thinking of adopting a pet? Cathy Francis from Wally’s Rescue suggests asking yourself the following questions fist:

• Are we able to provide a long-term consistent loving home?
• What will we do if our circumstances change and we can’t afford to keep our pet?
• Is this something we were thinking of doing anyway or are we “pet shopping” because we can?