A distinction should be made between relinquishment, abandonment, surrender and transfer, which all refer to giving up a pet, but in different circumstances. Furthermore, reasons for relinquishment should be assessed as they may vary from those given under normal circumstances. Given this unique set of circumstances, it is important to establish the impact of the COVID-19 on companion animals by establishing the prevalence of adoption and relinquishment during the pandemic and identifying risk factors for relinquishment. Companion animal abandonments and relinquishments may be further increased by fears that COVID-19 can be passed on from companion animals to humans ( 12). At the same time, in line with government guidance, animal charities are restricting or suspending adoptions and new animal admissions and veterinarians have been forced to provide restricted services ( 8– 11). In times of stress and financial difficulty such as this, animal charities see increased pressure on their veterinary services and an increase in cases of cruelty, neglect and abandonment ( 7). Similarly, frontline workers face increased workloads and time pressures, leaving less time available to care for pets ( 5, 6). For example, many citizens have experienced an abrupt loss of income ( 3) or have begun to work at home where pets may interrupt the working day ( 4). The COVID-19 pandemic has created a situation globally where companion animals may be at increased risk of relinquishment and abandonment due to multiple interrelated factors. However, most of the literature on human-animal relations during crisis situations has focused on natural disasters rather than disease outbreaks ( 2). The findings from this study should be used to inform interventions aimed at reducing companion animal relinquishment.ĭuring times of crisis, there is an increased risk to animal welfare ( 1). Financial constraints were the most mentioned reason for both giving up a pet and considering giving up a pet, followed by health concerns specific to COVID-19, and behavioral problems. There was no effect of species (cat or dog) on risk of relinquishment. A total of 65.0% of CR participants were male, increasing to 72.2% of R participants. Of those that had already given up their pet, 14.3% relinquished to a shelter, 66.7% gave their pet to a new owner and 19% obtained temporary care from someone else. There was a trend for greater likelihood of CR or R of pets acquired online ( P = 0.074). Compared to pets given as a gift, there was a 38.7% decreased likelihood of relinquishment in pets sourced from a shelter ( P 6 months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, those acquired < 6 months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic were three times more likely to be considered for, or be, given up ( P < 0.001) and those acquired after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic were two times more likely to be considered for, or be, given up ( P < 0.001). Considering data from the three surveys, 4.06% of participants considered giving up their pet, 0.74% relinquished their pet, and 0.2% considered and then later give up their pet. Two follow-up surveys were sent to CR and R participants. Three groups of participants were identified Those that never considered relinquishment (NCR), those that have considered relinquishment (CR) and those that have already relinquished a cat or dog (R). N = 3,945 responses were available for analysis. A survey was distributed to 4,000 participants across several countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain and France. The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of self-reported adoption and relinquishment of cats and dogs during the pandemic, and to identify characteristics associated with relinquishment. 2Animal-Computer Interaction Lab, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom.1Animal Behaviour Centre, School of Psychology, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.Carroll 1 * Alice Torjussen 2 Catherine Reeve 1
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