- July 26, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
These are the dog days of summer, but this isn’t a story about the weather. For many, this summer is the first spent in the company of a pet.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that 23 million U.S. households acquired a new pet between March 2020 and May 2021 and, according to Rover.com, 13 percent were first-time pet owners. Cats are still incredibly popular pets in America but dogs that were adopted during COVID, sometimes referred to as “pandemic puppies,” accounted for an estimated 53 percent of the new animals we lived with in lockdown.
This surge in canine companionship can be linked to professional, social, and emotional shifts caused by the pandemic. Studies have shown that pets provided comfort and support to those who were isolated from their family members, friends, and co-workers last spring.
“People working from home were like, ‘I need a dog,’” said Charlene Lambert, a…
