PANDEMIC

The Bay Area went crazy for pandemic pets. What happens when we go back to work?

21 hours ago Sam Ji

Pepper is a very good dog. He’s rambunctious, but knows how to chill. He’s also a border collie and Australian shepherd mix, so he’ll occasionally try to herd his adoptive parents, Lloyd Brown and Alex Brandenberg, when they’re in the kitchen. And during the pandemic, he’s been a nice distraction from the stresses of the world.

Brown and Brandenberg adopted Pepper last July, a few months into shelter-in-place. They’d just moved into a new building in Oakland and had been talking about adopting a dog for a while. The plan was not to get a very young dog, but they … read more

Oregon Humane Society helps 7K ‘pandemic pets’ find homes

2 days ago Sam Ji

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The past 12 months will be remembered as some of the most challenging in human history but they also provided a unique opportunity for countless pets in need of forever homes.

Despite being dominated by a crippling pandemic, the past year has been one of the most successful years on record for pet adoptions across the United States. Scores of people found themselves suddenly spending all their time isolated at home and often in desperate need of a companion. That longing for connection led many to seek out their local animal shelters.

A new report from

… read more

A side effect of the pandemic: Chunky pets

5 days ago Sam Ji

Veterinarians are noticing a side effect of the coronavirus pandemic: weight gain in pets. 

BluePearl Veterinary Partners, a national pet hospital organization, found that last year, over half of the 1.1 million pets treated at their clinics were overweight: 52% of dogs and 56% of cats. BluePearl discovered a 24% increase in overweight dogs treated at its practices over the last seven years. 

A Hill’s Pet Nutrition study revealed that 71% of vets reported seeing pet weight gain in their office linked to the pandemic. More than half of pet owners said they give their pets treats for no reason. 

… read more

Live Animal Markets Should Be Closed to Prevent the Next Pandemic

1 week ago Sam Ji

By Reynard Loki

The exact origin of the coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, which started the COVID-19 pandemic, is still unclear. Early reports suggested that the virus jumped from an animal to a human at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a “wet market” that sells live animals. On March 30, the international team of scientists assembled by the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report of their recent visit to Wuhan to investigate the source of the virus and confirmed the “zoonotic source of SARS-CoV-2.”

“Evidence from surveys and targeted studies so far have shown that the coronaviruses most highly related to

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Puppy mafia: Dognappers exploit demand for pandemic pets in U.K.

2 weeks ago Sam Ji

Britain is in the throes of a huge dognapping crime wave. This is extremely distressing in this nation of animal lovers, another emotional lashing in a strange and terrible time.

The humane societies and rescue charities in Britain say they have never seen anything like it. Animal welfare investigators — pet detectives, really — blame the pandemic. The demand for dogs is massive, but there are few for sale or adoption. So crime bosses are now puppy brokers.

In the United States, the most famous recent case involved Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, stolen from her dog

… read more

Vet clinics struggle to restart spay/neuter of feral cats after pandemic shutdown

2 weeks ago Sam Ji

Spring is always a tough time for kitten rescuers, and never more so this year.

Long Island’s feral cat population is soaring, as it is around much of the nation. The pandemic is to blame because it closed so many shelters and clinics that could have sterilized the kittens born last year that now are breeding – along with their parents.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking what we see on regular basis,” said Michele Alier, practice manager at Farmingdale Dog & Cat Clinic. “All the work that’s been done all these years has been completely wiped out,” she said.

In just two

… read more

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