Animal adoptions: The reason why people are not adopting more

By Katie Sandoval

A two-year-old, female dog named Winnie whose owner gave her up at the Dumb Friends League (Photo by Katie Sandoval)

The rate of animal adoption is increasing, however, as of Sept. 3, 2020, it was estimated that between 7% to 20% of animals are returned to animal shelters within the first six months of being adopted. About 38.2% of dogs and 56.9% of cats are returned because of the animal’s behavior or because of other reasons related to the owner.

Gayle Ritz, a freshman at the University of Denver, pointed out how people could have had bad experiences when owning a pet. 

“My dad adopted a dog, but he wasn’t a nice, friendly dog,” Ritz said. ” He was kind of mistrustful of humans, he bit people a lot, but my dad said his first home was kind of abusive.”

Besides an animal’s behavior, people also underestimate how much attention they need to give to their pet. In fact, people who never owned a pet before seem to not want, or regret getting a pet because of the amount of responsibility to take care of one.  

She also mentioned how people would mostly want an animal that is sociable instead of solitary. Thus, why she thinks more people adopt dogs compared to cats as she referred to a common saying, “a dog is a man’s best friend.” 

However, while most people do own dogs it is actually cats that get adopted more. To be precise, 23% of dogs are adopted and 31% are cats. The reason is because dogs are mostly bought from a breeder rather than from a shelter.  

“They kind of want specific things, they don’t want an animal with a previous history,” said Ritz. 

People who buy from a breeder usually know what type of animal they are going to get. In addition, just as Ritz mentioned, people have more of an opportunity to mold their pets from a young age. 

Samantha Wilkins, a sophomore at the University of Denver, also talked about how she thinks people tend to adopt younger animals more compared to older animals. 

“Firstly, people don’t like the prospect of them dying sooner after they adopt them,” said Wilkins. “They may be harder to train, they’re less energetic which some people like, but others picture a puppy playing fetch.”

Wilkins is not that far off as older animals are adopted less, which puts them at a higher risk for being euthanized. In addition, some people who have lost a pet before do not want an older pet because they will have less time to spend with them.

Wilkins also highlighted some expenses that could be overlooked when it comes to the cost of taking care of an animal. It is not just the vet bills or pet food that can be expensive, but also legal situations.

“One of my coworkers was in this situation with her dog where it attacked another dog and she was paying for all this stuff like legal things,” Wilkin said. “The courts were making her dog do 20 hours of training that they had to pay for themselves as well as fines for the dog that she had to pay.”

One in four people end up relinquishing their pet, in most cases it is not because the owner does not want them anymore, but because they can no longer afford to take care of them. 35% of people are concerned about the affordability of pets, about half of them think about giving up their pets because of the current economy.

Kelsie Bernik, who owns three dogs, talked about how she also thinks vet bills are the most expensive thing when caring for an animal. She usually pays for her dogs to have six-month exams and when they need shots, rabies vaccine, or if they get hurt. 

“I’ve taken them for allergy shots and the allergy shots have gone up $20 bucks just in the past year,” said Bernik.

The annual cost of caring for a pet can vary between the different types of pets as some require one thing that other pets do not. Some common things that people buy for their pets are vet checkups, medicine, food, treats, and toys. Some differences are how people need to buy litter for cats and others pay to train their dogs.

In 2021, Americans who owned pets spent about $123.6 billion on their pets. Because the cost of caring for an animal can be a lot, some people decide to give them up, but some people do not give their animals to a shelter of any kind, but instead leave them on the streets. 

“Take it to a shelter or a rescue group, don’t just abandon it,” said Bernik. “I’ve just seen so many postings recently of people just abandoning their pets, or tying them up somewhere, or leaving them in the middle of nowhere.” 

Carolyn Gentile, who works at the Dumb Friends League, actually recommended bringing the animals to a shelter because they can take care of them and any medical needs. They also have a behavior program that help animals that have been abused and neglected. Even safely rehoming an animal by transferring ownership to another member of the community could be another option. 

She even pointed out two reasons why people seem to not adopt. One, because they realize they are not ready to adopt an animal and two, they do not find a right match that works with their lifestyle. She also mentioned some reasons as to why people end up returning pets.

“Allergies are a big thing, other animals in the house not liking the new animal can be a thing, the kids not working out with the animals is another reason,” said Gentile. 

As for what people can do to help animals, even without adopting, people can be by donating and volunteering at shelters. Donating helps shelters have supplies for the animals, while volunteering can help animals by socialization when they spend time with them.

Some things that Dumb Friends League do is offer presentations on the importance of treating animals that benefits both the owner and the animals. They also work with organizations like Pet Pantry that help people with low income get pet food every two months. 

“It’s hard sometimes to find the right animal, but we really do love to try to make good matches, so we will try our best,” Gentile said.