During the isolating time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna Rath, age 25, who lives in St. Petersburg, decided that she wanted to adopt a new companion to share her home with. When she showed up to the pet store though, the process was a lot different than she expected.
Rath visited Puppies St. Pete located in Largo and explained that while she knew there would be changes to the process, she wasn’t expecting to have to make an appointment to look at the available dogs.
Many animal shelters and pet stores decided to move to virtual or appointment only methods of meeting and adoption to prevent crowds of people, increase sanitization time, and allow for only serious adopters to enter the building.
As Rath waited in the parking lot looking at the dogs posted on the business’s website, she found one she was interested in. An employee saw her, came to her car, and allowed her to enter the building since there was no one else inside.
“We were required to wear masks, hand sanitize our hands when we walked in the front door, and were asked to social distance from others,” said Rath. “The ‘appointment only’ was a surprise because we hadn’t thought about pet stores having restrictions like that.”
Jacob Smith, age 23, who also lives in St. Petersburg, shared a similar experience to Rath as he underwent the new process to adopt a pet from a local shelter.
Smith adopted 8-week and 12-week old Tortie kittens, named Winnie and Penelope respectively, from Friends of Strays located in St. Petersburg. His pet adoption story had numerous similarities to Rath’s.
“I was expecting to go look for a kitten, but PetSmart and the ASPCA were all appointment only, so I went to Friends of Strays online hoping they didn’t require an appointment,” said Smith. “We still ended up needing to call to make an appointment, but we fell in love with two kittens on their website.”
Like Rath’s experience, to enter the building and look, Smith also had to wear a mask, social distance, and use hand sanitizer after visiting each pet room.
“I was surprised that they made us wait at the door until the other people were done looking,” said Smith
Petfinder listed some of these new restrictions and changes that animal shelters and pet stores follow, including virtual meet-and-greets, pre-scheduled appointments, curbside pet adoptions, and safety practices for visitors.
Something both Rath and Smith had an issue with was almost losing their chance to adopt their chosen pets due to the new, confusing practices.
“It was weird that they put the dog back into his shared crate after we had confirmed that he was the dog I was going to purchase and went to fill out the paperwork,” said Rath.
She was concerned that the dog she chose was going to be picked out by someone else since he was put back into the open adoption area.
Smith also almost lost the chance because the kittens he named on his application were not set aside or put on hold, leaving one to be nearly adopted by another family. Fortunately for Smith, the family was indecisive, and he took both of the kittens home.
“I thought it was really cool that they sent us home with a bag of cat food for each kitten, along with wet food for the younger one who had minor stomach issues at the time,” said Smith. “They also offered to help us with the younger one if any stomach issues persisted.”
In the end, Rath was able to adopt the 10-week-old Dachshund she fell in love with, and name him Auggie.
Even though these moments were worrying for Rath and Smith, they both agreed that they were extremely happy with their decisions to adopt during this time.
“It’s brought excitement to our lives and it’s fun watching them come into their own personalities,” said Smith. “It’s also made me get on a better routine because they have to be fed in the morning and at night.”
Rath shared that she enjoys the big energy her new puppy brings to her home, and that he has made her a little less lonely during this pandemic.
“It’s fun to come home to someone who’s so excited to see you,” said Rath. “Plus, I get to go on a lot more walks now, though it’s been an adjustment waking up early for them.”