Lots of Iowans Have Adopted Pets During the Pandemic

Adopting my dog last March was the best decision I made in 2020!

According to a new study from Porch.com, since the start of the pandemic last year, Americans have adopted around 750,000 animals from animal shelters across the country. 54% of shelter animals have been adopted, which is a 3% increase from the previous year.

Here in the state of Iowa, our adoption rate is even higher. There have been 7,611 pet adoptions, with an adoption rate of 61.5%. When it comes to cat vs. dogs, slightly more cats were adopted than dogs on both a national level and here in Iowa. The article says that "more than 55% of cats that were taken in by animal shelters since March 11th were adopted, compared to 54% of dogs." In Iowa, cats got more love than dogs, with a 62% adoption rate.

So, why have so many people been adopting furry friends over the course of the last year? According to the article:

“83% of pet owners said that having a pet helps to reduce their stress and increase their sense of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. For 72% of pet parents, spending time with their cat and/or dog improved their mood during the lockdown."

I adopted my dog Tater from Last Hope Animal Rescue at the end of March last year, and I do credit the pandemic for that. We had a trip to Nashville planned in May, but we ended up canceling it. I decided to use the trip money to adopt him, which ended up being one of my best decisions ever. I would've also liked to adopt a cat. If only I wasn't so terribly allergic...

Have you adopted a pet during the pandemic? Let us know and share a photo in the comments below!