For many, the pandemic has caused feelings of isolation and a lack of companionship. Many have reverted to filling these voids with furry friends, such as puppies. When daily necessities like soap and flour were flying off the shelves, people rapidly adopted puppies to cope with the ever changing world around them. 

According to the Washington Post and their Covid Impact Report, adoption rates increased about 34 percent from pre pandemic times to the  beginning of it. Sophomore Zoey Cascio and her family adopted a plott hound german shepherd boxer mix named Captain. They got him from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue in July of 2021. “Our family decided to get a puppy because we had always wanted an animal that we could take with us on trips, run with, and just to add another member to our family,” Cascio said. Exercising together, company, and the playfulness and happiness he brings her are just a few of the benefits Cascio gets from her dog Captain. 

Research shows that owning a dog is beneficial to health. As stated by Time USA, dogs can reduce stress, lead to lower blood pressure levels, and can even decrease the risk of asthma in kids. Along with the benefits to owners, economically, the puppy boom turned into an economic boom as adoption sites and pet stores all over the world saw more business than ever before.  

As claimed by The Week, nearly 13 million households in the U.S. added pets to their family in 2020. Soaring adoption rates brought the U.S. cat and dog populations up to 160 million, close to double the number it was half a century ago. Pet owners spendings on pet supplies and food has reached $103 billion and is still expected to rise significantly. Although Covid caused many businesses to lose a significant amount of money, pet stores and businesses were not among those.

“My dog has helped because it has given me something to do during the day. It has also given me a new sense of responsibility,” Cascio said. Puppies helped get many through these unprecedented times as everything known and loved changed in the blink of an eye. Without puppies, it’s unknown how many people all around the world would have dealt with the pandemic. For that we thank our pandemic puppies!

Hedgpeth, D. (2021, January 7). So many pets have been adopted during the pandemic that shelters are running out. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/animal-shelters-coronavirus-pandemic/.  

Zorthian, J. (2017, July 24). Owning a dog is really good for you, research shows. Time. Retrieved October 1, 2021, from https://time.com/4870796/dog-owners-benefits/. 

Staff, T. W. (2021, August 15). The pandemic pet boom. The Week. Retrieved October 1, 2021, from https://theweek.com/coronavirus/1003648/the-pandemic-pet-boom.