With the shelter-in-place order in many states, residents are finding ways to feel less lonely and isolated. One of these is adopting or fostering animals!

In New York and other disease hotspots across the country, people are adopting furry friends in need of a new home. Los Angeles pet shelters have seen a 70% increase in the number of people willing to adopt a pet!

Animal rescue centers are happy to see the animals getting new and better places to live, and centers such as Muddy Paws Rescue and the Best Friends Animal Society are reporting a shortage of pets. Experts say that this interest in adopting pets came at precisely the right time because the months of March and April are usually when new puppies and kittens are born. The season is late this year, which means even more animals will be born!

Pet shelters, when overwhelmed with too many animals, often give them to rescue organizations who have volunteers taking care of the pets. To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, people transporting these animals from place to place are working to limit human-to-human contact. They have begun wearing masks and gloves, and are carrying the animals in crates so there is less chance that germs will be transferred.

While the rest of the stock market is crashing due to COVID-19, stocks in pet foods are soaring. However, some organizations worry that they will see another problem - animals being given up when people lose their jobs and are unable to provide for their pets. With the recent economic downturn, animal rescue centers also worry they will not get the donations and grants needed to sustain their organization. 

Sources: Bloomberg, LA Times