Pet shelters have filled up during pandemic, as owners have found themselves unable to keep their dogs
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Owners are taking their dogs to animal shelters at higher rates because of the pandemic – but it's not because the owners are going back to work.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza visited two shelters Friday - both with many dogs up for adoptions - to explain why this keeps happening.
A friendly 1-year-old dog named Cody ended up at PAWS Chicago, because his family couldn't keep him in their home anymore. It wasn't that they didn't want to.
"His owner was moving into a smaller apartment, and many apartments have rules about the size of pet that you can have," said PAWS Chicago chief executive officer Susanna Homan.
Cody is not alone.
"What we're seeing is there are a lot of people who have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Of course, there have been health issues and deaths, job loss, housing insecurity," Homan said. "A lot of those issues not only affect people, but it affects their ability to keep pets."
PAWS and other shelters across the city report the same trend.
"I would advise them to keep looking until they see a place; they find a place that fits them and their animals – and accepts both of them," said Mamadou Diakhate, executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control.
At Animal Care and Control, the kennel is fuller than it has been since the pandemic began.
They take in dogs and facilitate adoptions, but they also send dogs to place like PAWS.
Dogs at PAWS usually get adopted within a few days – and dogs like Cody are very excited to meet their new families.
PAWS and other shelters also offer temporary crisis care foster services for dogs that need temporary homes while their owner is dealing with a medical or other emeergency.
"And then they can get the pet back," Homan said.
PAWS Chicago is hoping to clear the shelter with Adopt-a-Thon event. It started Friday, and runs through Saturday, April 16.
You can find more information, or scope out available pets, at the PAWS Chicago website.