by Billie Allee
People all over the world adopt and buy pets everyday, but how did COVID-19 affect that? Did COVID-19 become a breeding ground for puppy fever?
According to an article by an online pet industry resource, Pet Food Industry, “In 2020, pet ownership in the U.S. rose from 67% of households to an all-time high of 70%.” This skyrocketing didn’t stop there. In an article by Consulting.us, it explains that“The number of pet dogs and cats in the US increased from 140 million in 2019 to 149 million in 2020, representing approximately 7% growth.”
But the question is why? Why did people adopt pets more during the global pandemic?
As a lot of people might know, quarantine had a big effect on people’s mental health. How does that relate to pets? An article by Consulting.us expresses, “The unique factors of the lockdown environment encouraged many Americans to adopt or buy pets for companionship. The pandemic also greatly decreased birth rates, which could have driven some substitution of pets for babies among millennial couples.”
An LREI student shared that they “… think that baby birth rates decrease and pet adoption or purchase increased because Americans were scared to have children in a pandemic because of the risk of getting COVID-19.” What is implied here is that the future during the pandemic was uniquely unknown and therefore people choose to bring pets into their family instead of a human. Another reason may be the desire for simplified companionship.
An article by CBS4 also supports the claim that pets were sources of companionship during the lockdown by showing “30% of pet owners welcomed a new pet in 2020, with more than half for companionship. Three quarters or more say, their pets provide important benefits in the form of companionship, reduced stress or anxiety during Covid-19.”
Findings in an article from CNBC confirm the benefits of pet companionship, “…having a pet in the home helps you respond better to stressful situations. Dogs in particular help you keep a routine and stay active, which experts say is extra important for your mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
How did the increase in pet companionship affect the US economy?
In contemporary culture, pets are becoming more like family members. “The trend of treating a pet like a member of the family rather than an animal that lives in the backyard started about a decade ago,” says Steven King, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association, in an article by “This is Capitalism.” In the same article it’s stated that, “Even before COVID-19 hit, pet industry offerings were expanding to include ‘clean’ pet food, BPA-free toys, and calming remedies such as CBD oil and melatonin chews. And it’s not just furry, cuddly animals that are getting the love.”
According to the same article, another contributing factor to the 7.3% increase in sales of pet supplies products over the past year is, “Part of what’s made sales of premium food successful is the shift from brick-and-mortar pet shops to online food subscriptions, led by the likes of Amazon and Chewy.com.” The recent soar in online shopping also benefited pet product sales and it created a 23% increase. According to research from Packaged Facts, “e-commerce is expected to continue to grow to cover 34% of the pet food market by 2024.”
If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic it would be pets! This has shown us that pets are companions, they are our partners, they are cute little friends, and they are mostly, sweet animals that stay rent free in our homes.