As The Number Of Abandoned Pets In The Shelter Continue To Rise, So Are The Number Of People Stepping Up To Adopt And Foster Them

• As businesses continue to close, so are the number of abandoned pets continuing to rise.
• But the number of people who are willing to help has also risen and many pets were adopted, fostered, or put in rescue centers.
• It is truly heartwarming to see how many people rally to care for each other and the animals too.

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If there are good things that this ongoing crisis has caused, one of them is that people have stepped up to help each other and the animals too.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen businesses and establishments forced to close and shelters were worried about the number of animals to care for at this time. A lot of owners have decided to put their pets in the care of the shelters and surprisingly many people have also offered help across the country.

Every year, there are about 30,000 animals  that the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services in Texas takes in. And it is a lot of work to care for a lot of homeless animals being one of the country’s largest municipal shelters. So, during this uncertain time, they are hoping that many people would volunteer to foster and adopt as many animals as possible—and that is just what has exactly happened.

“Since [March 15] we have received 254 foster applications (normally we receive 60 a month),” Lisa Norwood, from City of San Antonio Animal Care Services, told The Dodo. “So we’ve received more than four times the number of interested fosters in two weeks than we do in four months.”

In March alone, 600 pets were adopted and 118 were placed in foster homes while 900 pets went to local rescue centers. At the moment, they only have around 150 pets left.

Things at the usually busy shelter have now calmed down and the staff couldn’t be happier with that. They are thankful to all community members who have come forth to help.

“One of the things that we have seen is that during any crisis there’s always a rise in compassion,” Lisa said. 

It seems that people nowadays are in one mind and spirit to help their community as much as they can and the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services is not the only one witnessing this great experience. Foster families across the country have increased in number and that is very heartwarming.

This is definitely one of the most rewarding victories of the shelter so far.

“Any time that we can help a pet, it feels good,” Lisa said. 

Source: The Dodo