OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:17 PM PT — Saturday, March 28, 2020
People stuck at home are longing for a little company and have found
it at local animal shelters. Shelters across the country have reported
massive increases in foster requests from people struggling under
‘shelter in place’ orders.“Since I had never fostered before, I felt like this telework set up, I couldn’t say no,” explained first-time foster Katie Lee. “If it’s my first time, at least I’m home a lot, and maybe as I get more confident, I can do it while I work at my office.”
The Humane Rescue Alliance in D.C. has processed at least 800 applications in the last 10 days.
“The outpouring of support from the community is just, it’s so lovely and such a bright ray of sunshine in, like, really scary and uncertain times,” said foster director Jennah Billeter. “So, it gives all of us something really wonderful to focus on.”
Best Friends Animal Society has shelters in four states and has reported a “surge” in applications. Traffic to their website increased by 240 percent last week. New Yorkers have been fostering so much that their shelter there is now empty.
Those new fosters have turned to online delivery services to provide for their new friends. Stock prices for Chewy, an online pet store, jumped more than 30 percent since the beginning of March.
Normally, a foster only has an animal for a brief period of time before the animal finds their “forever home.” Shelter volunteers are hoping after the pandemic dies down, people will love their animals so much they won’t be able to bear giving them back.
While some are worried staying isolated under current circumstances may increase people’s anxiety and could worsen mental health issues, many have agreed the addition of a pet can benefit one’s health.
“A bright spot in sort of this dark time right now,” noted Lee. “If you’re able to do it, why not give it a chance?”
