If you didn’t adopt a pet during the pandemic you probably know someone who did. So, was there a pandemic pet boom?
New Yorker staff writer Nick Paumgarten says no.
“Dog adoptions were actually down in 2020 over the previous year not up, the way all the stories seem to suggest that they are. Instead, what we were seeing is a sudden drop in intake at shelters and therefore it was harder to get a dog,” he said. “There were fewer dogs in the shelters, so the so-called adoption rate went up.”
Paumgarten spoke with Think guest host Courtney Collins. You can hear the full conversation on Think's website, where you can subscribe to the daily podcast via engines like Spotify or Apple.
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