Here's why SICSA's pet adoption and wellness market exploded in 2022 – The Business Journals

Within the isolated days of 2020’s Covid-19 shutdown, pets became a beacon of light, pulling their owners out of their homes for fresh air and providing much needed comfort for business owners and workers alike.
Two years later, pet wellness and adoption organizations are still feeling the aftershock of the pandemic as are many others. But one local organization has managed to tackle the challenges of the tumultuous year despite the rising barriers.
Washington Township-based nonprofit SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center’s President and CEO Nora Vondrell spoke with DBJ to discuss the state of the pet adoption market, major successes and what the organization still lacks in 2022.
Nationally, adoption rates are down and length of stays in shelters are longer, especially for larger dogs. Rescue transfers are also down, which provide alternative placements for animals in overcrowded shelters to prevent euthanasia.
Contrary to the average trends, SICSA is pushing forward on adoptions with increased capabilities at its new facility, having seen their highest all time adoption month this past July. However, Vondrell said their center is following trends around lengthened stays for pets, primarily large dogs.
“That’s our hardest population to move… because they’re there they can be adorable, but they’re a lot of work,” Vondrell said.
NOTE: Click the gallery to view some of the available pets at SISCA’s facility
Additionally, owner surrenders are increasing. However, SICSA is intentionally working toward intake diversion, helping keep pets in their homes. As a part of mitigation, the organization supports owners by providing food, supplies, pet deposits, veterinary costs, behavior support and spay/neuter services.
SICSA has successfully diverted more than 2,000 intakes this year alone. That means the organization has increased diversions by 82% from 2021.
However, the number of intakes is not decreasing, instead the organization is only preventing numbers from increasing greatly.
“We’re still seeing the effects of Covid coming through our health center,” Vondrell said. “Our center is seeing the people who are finally at a last resort financially and seeking shelter for their pets. It is our opinion the reason why we’re seeing so many requests for help center services is because people are feeling the pinch financially.”
For those who are facing the affects but are reluctant to surrender, some have compromised their own wellbeing in place of their furry friend.
Vondrell said the organization partnered with the Senior Resource Connection starting in 2020 for Meals on Wheels to also provide pet food.
While demand for services is continuing to trend upward, Vondrell said the pandemic has not made cost of care for pets any easier. The pandemic has increase cost of care for animals between 18% and 25%, a difficult percentage to swallow for owners and a high-demand service organization that does not receive government funding.
And the cherry on top is that SICSA has become the new primary pet center source for locals as the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center is currently closed to the public at a tier two response, acting only on emergency situations for animals.
“We’re definitely seeing more strays that are coming in than we have ever before and that has a ton to do that with the fact that the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center has been closed to public health,” she said.
Only a couple months prior to the pandemic, SICSA moved into its new facility. Vondrell suspects without their facility, the organization would not have performed well during the shutdown.
“We couldn’t have done Covid at our old facility,” Vondrell said. “It was too small. We couldn’t have maintained any kind of distances. We were very fortunate to be in the new facility and very fortunate to have our staffing up to where we needed to be because we are serving more animals.”
The new facility quadrupled its veterinary clinic capabilities and doubled capacity for adoption and health centers. However, Vondrell clarified that their new facility is not indicative of a lower need for donations.
Vondrell said SICSA is in need of donations, resources and volunteers to keep up with the spiked demand. She said pet fosters are the greatest need for the organization currently.
SICSA employs 60 workers and receives the help of 225 active volunteers. To find out ways to contribute or adopt a pet, visit the official website.
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