Pet Adoptions in Los Angeles Still Surging Amid Pandemic
Early on in the pandemic, many adoption shelters nationwide were emptied out, as people with more time on their hands thanks to lockdowns rushed to get rescue dogs and cats. Now, months later — as the White House has welcomed its first shelter dog, President Biden’s Major — adoption rates remain strong across the U.S., according to Barb Williamson of the national advocacy group Best Friends Animal Society.
Agrees, Lesley Brog, founder of L.A.-based dog rescue Wags & Walks (whose celebrity supporters include Patrick Stewart, Judy Greer and Catherine Keener): “We are still receiving thousands of adoption applications per week. Dogs provide us with companionship, support and unconditional love, and we all desperately need this right now.” Aleks Schiffer, the founder and president of I Stand With My Pack, tells THR that the foster-based nonprofit found homes for “140 more animals” in 2020 than the year before.