Loneliness. Unhappiness. Neglect. Covid-19 has been a hard time for people who didn't even have the disease but what impact has it had on our furry friends?

With the arrival of covid, the number of animals adopted has increased significantly. Not one month ago, my family and I adopted a cat named Arrow, and his picture is shown above. He is a ragdoll cat and we adopted him at the age of 6 months and talking to my mum and sister, they talked about how he "is such a stress-reliever and really keeps a good mood in the household."

Even more recently, a girl named Sharon Raju adopted a pet dog named Pixie and she often talks to me about what Pixie means to her and the fact that she's "so well-tempered and so adorable!"

In this month alone I can count 5 people who have adopted animals. So why have people been adopting pets?

Covid-19 has meant a distance from friends or family in other countries and although video calls and zoom meetings exist, there is nothing that’s the same as face-to-face interaction. The adoption of pets has saved many from loneliness during this time since you're isolated from everyone and in the panic and shock if this time, everyone needs a companion for comfort.

The adoption of pets has not only selfishly helped us, the owners but also the pets themselves who long to be rehomed and to have people around them who enjoy their company. But at the same time, things have not been on the bright side for many pets. 

For many animals, they have been taken to rescue centres because some owners could not take care of them fully and after restrictions were eased a little more, some didn’t feel like they wanted their pets anymore. While cases of this were small, they still did happen, showing that maybe for some animals, Covid did more worse than good.

In conclusion, I believe that Covid-19 gave an opportunity for animals to have a love and home they deserve on the whole however we cannot and must not neglect the few that have been left alone. Adopting a pet is one of the best things, it's almost like having another child at home (a child that ages extremely quickly) but a child, nevertheless. If you decide to adopt a pet, remember that you are not only making a change in your life but also a change in your pets' life.