Animal Friends Humane Society in Hamilton, Ohio, had a huge cause for celebration after a call for adoption and foster during the pandemic helped to nearly clear all their kennels.
The shelter, preempting a loss of staff and volunteers due to the lockdown restrictions amid the
CCP virus, took to
social media to ask their local community for help. They hoped to place as many of their animals as possible in foster or forever homes outside of the shelter, reports
WLWT 5.
In addition to the shout-out, the shelter started a “name-your-price” adoption
drive, and the response was overwhelming; in just four days, 37 out of 40 animals had found loving homes with families.
On March 19, 2020, the shelter posted on
Facebook: “To our community of animal lovers, you made this possible! With the exception of 3 dogs still available in our Dog Adoption wing, and 5 dogs being housed in our Stray Dogs wing waiting on owners to claim them, we have cleared our shelter!”
“The last 4 days have been busy and exciting,” staff continued. “It’s so uplifting to see family after family offering up their homes to a foster animal.”
The shelter informed their followers that the empty kennels lessen the burden upon their hardworking staff and volunteers. Having empty kennels also ensures that these deserving dogs get to live their best lives and are not forced to become a forgotten statistic during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.
Comments from animal lovers poured in in response to the incredible news. “I wish your kennels always looked like that,” wrote one follower. “Hope some temporary fosters become ‘foster failures’ and find their homes.”
“You guys were the same thing as winning the mega millions lottery and the coming of Jesus to these guys,” wrote another. “Remember that this (in some of these animals’ eyes) may be the greatest thing you’ve ever done.”
Nationwide, millions have had to endure salary reductions, shift reductions, or even unemployment as a result of America’s lockdown measures. According to
Wired, in large cities and more socially deprived areas, many families have also been forced to surrender their pets to shelters after finding themselves unable to afford their upkeep.
On the other side of the coin, many families find themselves at home with time to spare, and many people are increasingly vulnerable to anxiety or loneliness as a result of the restrictions upon social interaction. For these people, there may never have been a better time to become an animal fosterer.
Additionally, under U.S. lockdown regulations, walking a dog is still permitted.
According to
Wired, Sandy Branson, a researcher on the impact of pets on well-being at the University of Texas Cizik School of Nursing, said: “Being socially isolated, you’re at risk for depression and loneliness, and, in older adults, we know loneliness is associated with early death [and] Alzheimers.”
“Giving to another being is a reason to wake up in the morning,” she said.
Jim Tedford, CEO of the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, told
USA Today that there’s no way of knowing exactly what will happen as virus case numbers increase, nor what impact cumulative financial stresses might have. “But for now,” Tedford said, “we’ve seen communities step up and help reduce shelter populations rather than the other way around.”
Posting on
Facebook, Animal Friends Humane Society in Hamilton, Ohio, reminded their followers that there will always be animals in need; new adoptable animals, they said, are posted on their website daily.
“If you can’t foster or adopt, please consider making a small donation,” the shelter added. “We are so honored to be able to serve this amazing community.”
