Animal Shelters’ Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Survey of 14 Shelters in the Northeastern United States

SIMPLE SUMMARY: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were widespread reports of increased public interest in adopting and providing foster care to pets in animal shelters. However, there is a need for peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support these trends. The goals of this preliminary study were to investigate possible differences in the number of animals entering and exiting animal shelters in the Northeastern United States and describe changes that shelters made to their usual operations in response to COVID-19. Fourteen animal shelters completed an anonymous, online survey between 2 November and 31 December 2020. Fewer dogs and cats were admitted to animal shelters and adopted between March–June 2020 compared with the same months of 2019. We found that the proportion of animals who were adopted or euthanized did not differ between the years, although there were considerable differences between the shelters. While many shelters endeavored to recruit new foster caregivers during the pandemic, the overall proportion of animals who spent time in foster care was no greater in 2020 compared with 2019. Our study provides pilot data about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected animal shelter operations and illustrates the range of different experiences of animal shelters in the Northeastern United States. ABSTRACT: Anecdotal reports indicate that many animal shelters experienced increased adoption and foster care rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet peer-reviewed evidence is lacking. In this pilot survey of 14 animal shelters in the Northeastern United States, we aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal intakes, foster care and five outcome types and describe operational changes reported by shelters in response to COVID-19. Paired sample t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare intake, adoption, euthanasia and foster care rates and numbers between March–June 2019 and 2020. The number of dogs and cats that entered shelters was significantly lower during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the same months of 2019 (t = 3.41, p = 0.01, t = 2.69, p = 0.02). Although the overall rate of adoption and euthanasia did not differ, the numbers adopted and euthanized decreased significantly for both dogs and cats, reflecting the significantly decreased intake. We also found significant variability between shelters. During the pandemic, several shelters sought to expand their foster care networks through operational changes (n = 6) and statements made to the public (n = 7). However, the proportion of dogs and cats housed in foster care did not differ between March–June 2019 and 2020 in our sample. Our findings offer preliminary insights regarding the impact of a worldwide pandemic on the functioning of animal shelters.