Animal adoptions still up in Peoria-area shelters, with no significant surge in pet returns – Pekin Daily Times

Last year, as the outbreak of COVID-19 led to stay-at-home orders and physical distancing protocols, many Americans found comfort in new four-legged companions.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported in May that 23 million U.S. households have adopted pets since the beginning of the pandemic. That includes many in central Illinois.
“Adoptions everywhere were at an all time high, resulting in fewer animal controls having animals to transfer out and fewer people surrendering their pets,” said Holly Crotty, director of Tazewell Animal Protective Society in Pekin. 
Becky Spencer, director of Peoria County Animal Protection Services, said that adoptions from the Peoria shelter have continued to rise. In 2020, PCAPS found new homes for 730 animals. By late last week, that number increased to 926 for this year.
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In May, USA TODAY reported that as pandemic restrictions eased, reported a trend of adopted animals being returned to shelters. However, the staffs at local animal shelters like TAPS and PCAPS have not noticed a surge in animal surrenders over the past year. Spencer said that in conversations with colleagues at other animal shelters across the United States, she has noticed a general trend of new pet owners being more attached to their companion animals.
“They found their animals a comfort and wanted to hold onto them more tightly,” Spencer added. “That’s something that we saw nationally.”
Crotty said that TAPS had been focusing on responsible adoptions throughout the pandemic because the staff there had anticipated the possibility of more pets being surrendered as pandemic restrictions eased. She has noticed that more animals have been entering the shelter system in recent weeks however.
Last week, TAPS took in 60 pets. While there has been no pandemic-related surge in pets being returned to TAPS, Crotty noted there are always some pets that are returned to shelters after being adopted. Some owners, she said, are being surrendered because their owners did not adopt responsibly, did not factor in returning to normal work schedules, or did not know how to train or socialize their new pets.
“Puppies and kittens don’t raise themselves,” Crotty said. “People often ask if they are good with kids. In large part, their behavior will depend on the training and socialization that they receive as they are raised. Puppies and kittens have sharp nails and sharp teeth and need to be socialized with not only toys but with interactive play and they are going to be destructive and need patience. If they scratch in play, a family should not jump to aggression and return them to the shelter or rescue. Families need to commit to training and socialization. New pets, no matter the source, need months to fully acclimate to a new home. Don’t give up on them.”
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By the end of 2021, PCAPS will have taken in about 3,300 animals, according to Spencer. While that is an increase from the approximately 2,900 pets that entered the shelter last year, it is still below PCAPS’ pre-pandemic yearly average.
“We typically see about 4,000 animals a year,” Spencer said.

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