CANMORE – Last year in the Bow Valley, pet adoptions increased by 22.7 per cent and Bow Valley SPCA adoption centre manager Meghan Keelan believes that trend will continue in 2021 after a busy January.
“Our adoptions have definitely been doing well since COVID and they are adoptions we are not concerned about,” said Keelan.
“We aren’t worried people are just bored, or they’re unemployed. Most of our adopters are actually still employed and working from home. I figure people are just looking for companionship and this is a good time to bring an animal into the house when you can spend more time with them.”
Keelan said because of the shelter’s no-cage, no-kill philosophy, the number of animals it can house is smaller compared to other facilities.
Despite the centre’s small size, a combined 184 cats and dogs were adopted last year compared to 150 in 2019. This year, there have already been 42 adoptions, about 23 per cent of last year's total in the first five weeks of the year.
“This has been the busiest January we have seen in years, which I actually wasn’t expecting, but I think this trend will continue at least for a little while.”
With the increase in adoptions, Keelan said there has been a backlog created for prospective pet owners because of the shelter’s small amount of animals it can house.
She views that backlog as a positive.
“We have more adopters than we have animals. It’s nice for us being small – I have that ability to help people find a certain type of dog or cat that they are looking for," she said.
"When we have a cat or dog being transferred to us from another shelter, I have been able to have a home already lined up for them before they arrive.”
The increase in pet adoptions in 2020 has been evident across southern Alberta and Keelan believes the Bow Valley SPCA’s increase could also be due to surrounding shelters running out of animals.
“People have more time. Many of our adopters are people who have been wanting to adopt for a long time and have jumped on this time as a time to adopt.”
Mental health is another factor Keelan cites as a reason for the increase in adoptions.
She said owning a pet can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and ease loneliness and encourage exercise.
“You’re giving yourself someone to love and that cat or dog shows you that love back. Having so much time at home, people can spend more time bonding with their animals. Instead of looking at caring for an animal as a chore it really has become a lot more for people in this time to connect with their animal.”
Keelan is hopeful the demand for adoptions will continue in 2021.
“It reassures us of the work we are doing – that we will be able to find forever homes for our cats and dogs.”
