From a bunny surge to a need for food: Animal groups reflect on another pandemic year for pets

Looking back on another pandemic year, animal groups in Windsor-Essex say the desire for a furry companion remained strong in the southwestern Ontario region, as did the need for food from pet food banks.

Many people thought the pet adoption and fostering trends of 2020 would slow the following year. But Melanie Coulter, executive director of the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, said the desire to have animals remained strong.

Coulter's organization was busy creating wellness programming, taking care of animals through its veterinary services and navigating online adoptions. 

"We have not seen any kind of pandemic regret," she said. "For the most part, we're not finding that people who either adopted or even obtained animals elsewhere are just changing their mind and returning them." 

Coulter said that a big moment for the society this past year was the adoption of 84 dogs from Texas — the largest transfer of animals the shelter has been part of and the first time it has flown in animals for adoption. 

She also noted that with so many animals being given new homes, the humane society recognized a need for wellness programming so that owners could understand the basic health checks they should be doing. 

Coulter said this sort of programming will continue to grow in 2022. 

Hundreds of rabbits mystifies humane society 

One of the more unusual trends of 2021 was the amount of rabbits, ducks and chickens the shelter was taking in, according to Coulter.

While ducks and chickens got adopted relatively quickly, rabbits seemed to stay on the market, and the humane society saw several hundred go through their doors. 

"We've had, and other shelters across Ontario have had, this flood of rabbits coming in," she said, adding shelters in Michigan are reportedly experiencing the same. 

"There's a limited number of rabbit adopters out there, so it has been a real challenge to try and place all those rabbits."

She said the humane society saw many people either surrendering their rabbits or bringing in stray ones from the street. Coulter said she suspects it's because it's difficult to get vet care for rabbits, but the reason remains a bit of a "mystery." 

Jacqueline Watson, who lives in LaSalle, Ont., told CBC News she adopted a rabbit on Dec. 28 after hearing about the surge the humane society was experiencing. 

Watson said her daughter, Amanda, loves animals, so they decided now was a good time for a new family member. 

"[Amanda] fell in love as soon as she saw the picture [of the bunny]," Watson said. "It was just meant to be." 

For anyone considering a rabbit, Watson encourages doing some reading and research to ensure they'll suit the family. 

Pet food demand nearly double since 2019

As the demand for pets remained high, so too did the need for food and supplies, according to Rodger Fordham of Feeding Windsor-Essex. 

He pet food demand doubled from what it was in 2019, with the organization servicing between 350 and 400 people this year. 

The rise in the need for pet food may have been due to the increased needs of pets. But he also said it may be because Feeding Windsor-Essex made itself more accessible to customers, by going to different parts of the area and having a mobile food bank go to people experiencing homelessness.

"It's a challenge [to keep up]," Fordham said, adding the organization relies on donations. 

"In these times, [it's] more than ever [important to donate] because your pet is such a good support for people that have issues with mental health, and now with COVID issues of social isolation for young children. A lot of times their animal is the only unconditional love they receive ... and for children, it's very important, for seniors, it's very important."