An interesting trend brought by the pet industry. Compared to other sectors, this one is growing at a dizzy rate. Why is that? Let's take a look at the newest trends in pet acquisition and adoption, and whether shelters and breeders really are as empty as they say.
Pet as an escape from the pandemic crisis.
Boredom, loneliness, stress and an unusually long time spent at home. According to Packaged Facts, an organisation that provides pet market research, it is one of the reasons for the rapid growth in dog ownership. During 2020, it increased to 96 million. By comparison, it is 10 million more than in the pre-pandemic 2019. The number of cat owners increased to 32 million, which, compared to 2019, is 2 million more. 2021 cannot boast of such numbers but it is still showing a positive trend.
The increase in the number of cats and dogs in households isn't the only reflection of the pandemic crisis. Latest surveys show that people enriched their households also with various species of aquarium fish, reptiles, small mammals and birds. This is also supported by the results from the retail trade, showing an increase in the sales of food for these domestic companions.
Adoptions in the Czech Republic
Czech breeders and shelters can confirm this trend. During the pandemic crisis, when people couldn't go anywhere, they passed their time by acquiring pets.
Most organisations can confirm that they didn't expect as much interest as they have recorded over the past year. Many are now at half their capacity. Some have agreed that interest also increased when government regulations allowed outdoor walks solely for the purpose of walking a dog.
Representatives of the societies have declared that most people were and still are interested in puppies, small dogs and bitches. However, they are worried that once the home office boom is over and all the regulations are relaxed, the situation won't be so rosy and people will start returning the pets back to the breeders and shelters. Unfortunately, all the organisations are expecting a great increase in the number of abandoned animals.
Greater interest has also been recorded in the adoption of dogs. Currently, the societies are choosing adoptive owners very carefully and conscientiously, and allow them to take the pets for only a temporary period to start with. According to the representatives of the dog-adoption societies, a potential applicant is given a four-month trial period to learn to work with the dog. During that time, the person must agree to an inspection, for the adoption centre to find out, whether the dog is thriving in the new home.
Have you also expanded your household with another member during the pandemic?
This summer, same as last year, favoured domestic travels thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while for holidays abroad pet owners arranged dog sitting, here in Czech they learnt to take them along. This group of dog owners was targeted by...
Crates or transport boxes provide your pet with safety and comfort not only during car journeys. You can see them more and more often in households with dogs. What can be the reasons for buying a crate for a dog living in a flat? What doesn't belong...
Recent estimates indicate that every third dog in the world is homeless. Some estimates go even further and state that it's half of all dogs. It is a relatively high number but the situation varies in different continents. This is one of the reasons...
The world of technology does not forget pets and their care. Now, developers have come up with a new app that will help you recognize your cat’s mood.
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
Pseudogravidity, also known as false pregnancy. The condition in which the female dog’s body is preparing for giving birth, even though the dog is not pregnant. False pregnancy occurs after heat and can last up to several months. What causes it, how...
Summer is a time of joy. The warm weather encourages trips and having fun in the water. However, summer may not be as great for our dogs as it may seem. We fur may sometimes do more harm than good. How to take care of wet fur and how to prevent any...
Cats scratch, everybody knows that. But have you ever wondered why that is? If you have a feline companion at home, you might have thought it would be a good idea to break her habit of scratching. Especially if your cat has ruined your furniture with...
Some love it, some hardly tolerate it. We are, of course, talking about summer and the hot weather that comes with it. Hot weather can become rather unpleasant for our canine companions. While cats usually tolerate heat without any major problems,...
Pet owners know that summer doesn't only bring warmth, sunshine and late sunsets. It's also the time of ticks, who know how to torment our four-legged friends. Unfortunately, it's very difficult, or even almost impossible, to prevent our pet from...
The summer season calls for hair cuts. And not only yours but also your pets'. But a shorter coat doesn't always mean lower body temperature. On the contrary, sometimes it could be the other way round. How and when to clip our four-legged friends'...
The fact that our mental well-being benefits from the presence of animals - namely dogs - has been mentioned here several times. Canis therapy is a highly effective therapeutic process where, to a certain degree, a dog interacts with a patient or...
