All animals at P.E.I. shelter have been adopted except Maggie the German shepherd

All the animals at the P.E.I. Humane Society have been adopted — except for one, a German shepherd named Maggie who was abused as a puppy and is now described as "70 pounds of pure excitement."

Even though its doors are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shelter has seen an increase in adoptions in the last few weeks, said development and communications manager Jennifer Harkness.

She said 88 animals — mostly rabbits, cats and dogs — were adopted this March, compared to 71 during the same period last year.

Only Maggie, who is in foster care, remains. 

Harkness said she's happy that people are looking for a companion animal at this time.

"What we're hearing from people is they have the time, they're working from home, their kids are at home, they're taking care of the kids at home and now is the time that they have to spend with an animal and they think it's a great time to adopt."

She said it's good for the animals, as well, to have people around when they are adjusting to their new environment.

Harkness said the shelter has stopped receiving animals unless it's an emergency. And since the shelter is temporarily closed to the public, there have been changes made to the adoption process.

The applications are done online and interviews are done on the phone. People only get a few minutes with the animal they are interested in adopting. 

'Come out of her shell'

Harkness hopes Maggie will be adopted soon. According to Maggie's bio on the shelter's website, she was abused and under-socialized as a puppy. And though she has "come out of her shell," it says her ideal family would be a single person or a couple without kids or other pets.

"She does need ongoing training but she's a wonderful dog and we're just hoping for the best home for her," Harkness said.

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