26,000 more dogs have been adopted in 2020 than in any year before. Since covid 19, many more people are rescuing dogs from shelters. In fact, so many dogs have been adopted that shelters in Washington are running out of dogs. Some rescue services are receiving double the number of requests to adopt or foster a dog. The dog rescue/ adoption rate has gone up by 30-40%in one year. There are many reasons why more dogs are being adopted during the pandemic and why the prices have gone up for buying dogs. 

     You would think in a global pandemic people would not want to have to spend extra money, but the dog adoption rate has skyrocketed. One reason that more people are buying dogs is that they are lonely or have lots of free time. Quoting the Washington Post, “Americans kept trying to fill voids with canine companions, either because they were stuck working from home with children who needed something to do, or had no work and lots of free time, or felt lonely with no way to socialize.” This shows how many people are stuck at home bored out of their minds, so they have decided to adopt a dog. There have been lots of adoptions all over the U.S. An article in the Chicago Tribune about pet adoptions stated “Since COVID started, it’s literally like a hunt in outreach to find new partners and new places to get dogs” This shows how dogs are getting harder to find because so many people are buying them. 

     Prices for dogs have gone through the roof during Covid-19. Dogs are now limited that if you want a dog, you have to pay a big price for it. According to the article “COVID-19 is sending pedigree puppy prices through the roof” from the New York Post, Goldendoodles are now around 4,700 dollars. Although that is a lot of money, people are still willing to pay because of how lonely they are in the homes. The New York Post article goes on to say “ Getting a puppy from a Midwest breeder to the East Coast, where most of the buyers are, used to cost about $399…the ending total now is around 1,600.” This shows just how lonely people are during the pandemic. 

     These are just two reasons why the dog sales and prices have gone up during Covid 19. So many people are adopting dogs that shelters are running out, and the prices for dogs are very high because of all the demands for dogs. It is sad to see that so many people are so lonely that they are paying thousands of dollars just to have someone to play with or be happy with. Now that the pandemic is starting to die down, will the pet adoption rates stay the same, go lower, or higher?