A report says that around 55% of animal shelters have empty cages as the people have been adopting pets worldwide in order to cope up with the negative emotions of loneliness, anxiety and isolation due to the lockdown and pandemic.
When Kavita, a 31-year-old unmarried woman, adopted a Labrador she said, “I know that a dog is going to be a lifelong commitment. Earlier I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to look after a dog and hence never showed much interest in pets. But with the lockdown and social distancing, everything got so saddening for me that I thought I might as well try committing myself to a loving pet than cursing my life all alone. And I am more than happy to have chosen this option because the love and warmth I get from Pepper is something I have been missing for all these three months in 2020.”
Siddharth, a 27-year-old man, mentioned about his Persian cat, Broody, “I had adopted Broody when the lockdown had started. When I thought about it, many of my friends said adopting a Persian cat wasn’t going to help me because they need their space and are a huge responsibility. But I am happy to have Broody, she is so different from any other cats. Yes of course she likes and needs her space, but then during the day, there are times when even I am busy with my work. Once the work is completed, the moments Broody and I spend together are priceless--sometimes she is almost waiting for me to finish my work. I look after Broody as my own child. She is a beautiful companion--sometimes she’ll come and linger around my work table but then when I give her too much attention, she just wants to run away, free. Broody is not just a cat but has been a companion during this lockdown, and one of the very few best things that have happened in 2020 to me.”
As per Dr. Amit Khanduja, “With the lockdown and isolation, we are deprived of the way we relate to people and the way we express and receive love. Having virtual conversations is nice and we advise many to do it, but that doesn’t replace being with someone physically, in the same space. This is also a major reason why people are opting for pets right now. I just hope that people don’t adopt pets as a bandaid for the emotions they are feeling because that might make things difficult for the pet when everything returns to normal. ”