2020 became the year of “pandemic puppies.” We’ve heard the stories all too often. A person adopts a dog during the COVID-19 lockdowns for a companion, then returns them after the dog interferes with life post-pandemic.
Unfortunately, this is happening so frequently that many shelters are running out of space for their animals. Shelters and rescues are in desperate need of resources to care for the rush of returned dogs.
Now, Perfectly Imperfect Pups (PIPs), a dog rescue organization based in North Carolina, is putting out a call to potential fosters since shelters across the country are now full.
What Is A Pandemic Puppy?
“A pandemic puppy is basically a dog that people adopted while they are home during the pandemic. And now that people have gone back to work, they don’t think that they can still care for it, and so they are surrendering them at the shelters and contacting a lot of the rescues in the area looking for someone to take the dog back,” PIPs director and founder Nicole Kincaid said (via ABC 11 News).
Kincaid states that her organization “sees pleas all the time” from shelters asking for help in finding dogs either temporary or forever homes after seeing an increase of returned dogs.
“I help as much as we can, but we can’t help without foster homes, so you open your home up for a small period of time. You’re not committing to the dog for life, but you are saving a life,” she explained.
If you’re struggling with an adopted dog while you return to to work, Kincaid offers up a viable solution: adopt another one.
“People can work and can take care of dogs. Dogs sleep most of the day while you’re at work. Let your dog sleep. Better yet, adopt another dog to keep them company,” she explained.
How You Can Help Pandemic Puppies
If you would like to help Perfectly Imperfect Pups in their mission, please visit the Ways To Help section of their website where they will give you instructions on how to foster, adopt, and donate.
The organization commits itself so fully to finding dogs loving homes that they make fostering virtually free.
“PIPs covers all the medical and preventatives that are needed. PIPs can also take care of food and crates, but a lot of foster families provide their foster dog food, toys, crates, and treats,” the foster portion of their site states.
To learn more about all the good things that come with fostering a dog, check out DogTime’s article here. If you want to find out if you’re ready to adopt, take our quiz here!
Are you currently fostering a dog? Would you take home a dog returned to a shelter after the pandemic just because their humans didn’t want them anymore? Please let us know in the comments below!
