Spectrum_03_2021

GESELLSCHAFT
Text Alexandra Andrist
Foto Unsplash
Pets and the Pandemic
The pandemic and the federal government recommendations
for remote work has moved many consumers to
shop, work, and have happy hour online. This has even
extended to buying pets online.
However, while there seems to be an increase
in people looking to buy a puppy online,
the same cannot be said for the animals
shelters in Switzerland. The Swiss media
has reported on a dramatic increase in the
number of dogs and cats purchased and
registered in the last year, a majority of the
shelters interviewed by Spectrum reported
no dramatic changes in the number of animals
they shelter. «We have seen neither an
increase or decrease in the number of pets
in our care», says Heinz Lienhard, President
of the Animal Protection Agency in Kreuzlingen
and surrounding region, «for us it has
been business as usual.»
ime. The one thing in life you cannot get
T more of. «I would love to have a pet, but
I just don’t have the time.» – A common reason
why people don’t take on the responsibility
of owning a pet. Unless you live in the
age of COVID-19 and suddenly find your
daily commute shortened and your social
life drastically less … well, social.
Experts Agree: Don’t Buy your Pet Online
Buying pets online has seen a boom in the
past year. The pandemic has awakened the
public’s love for pets. The online platform
Anibis has seen a thirty percent increase in
searches for cats and dogs. Similarly, Tutti,
another online retailer primarily focusing
on resale goods, has seen a dramatic increase
in searches; eighty percent for dog searches,
and ninety percent for cat searches.
Rommy Los, the manager of the association
Zürcher Tierschutz remarks: «We received
puppies that were purchased with one
mouse-click online from abroad. They were
paid for in cash and delivered to their front
door. As this decision was not properly
thought out, the puppies were handed over
to us after three days. The online puppy
trade is a huge problem in the pet industry.»
This is not a one-off scenario. Yvonne
Simon, from the Animal Shelter Rosenberg
in Winterthur shares a story about a husky
puppy that was imported from Brazil to
Switzerland, only when the puppy arrived
for a family member to realize that they had
a dog allergy, and it was given up for adoption
at the Animal Shelter Rosenberg.
All the animal shelters interviewed by
Spectrum voiced the same warning; don’t
buy your pet online. The current pandemic
has given the impression that life can be conducted
online and that anything is as easy as
«add to basket». The biggest problem with
buying a pet online is that a buyer does not
know where the pet is coming from, or what
kind of background the animal has. In many
cases, a pet bought online comes with a variety
of health problems.
One Problem of Many: Pandemic Pets
after the Pandemic
This doesn’t stop workers at animal shelters
from worrying about what the future will
bring. «The boom that the media has already
addressed, of animals being given up for
adoption, has not occurred yet», says Katja
Holenstein from Strubeli Animal Shelter,
«however, we are expecting that more animals
will be given up as soon as more people
return to life back in the office.»
This fear is shared by Therese Beutler, Head
of Tierheim Oberbottigen: «When home
office regulations are removed, I fear that
many pets will no longer be able to be kept.»
Some animal shelters are taking precautions
against potential «pandemic pet» adoptions.
One shelter employee, who wanted
to remain anonymous, made clear that they
are knowingly not allowing more dogs to be
adopted during this time exactly because of
these fears, adding that individuals who are
interested in adoption are currently more
rigorously scrutinized. P
Want to help make a dog or cats life
better? COVID-19 has hit the animal
shelter organizations especially
hard. Many shelters are reporting a
loss of donations or income of up to
95%. Consider donating to your local
shelter.
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the complete version
of the article:
05.21
spectrum
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