People are staying away from public gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, and that includes dropping by local animal shelters to bring home a pet. But the pets are still there, and if you’re serious about bringing home a new family member, the Humane Rescue Alliance would like to see you.
Dani Rizzo, of the alliance, a weekly visitor to WTOP for the Pet of the Week segment, participated via Skype on Monday morning and said the shelter saw a drop-off in visitors over the weekend.
But, she said, they were encouraging “serious adopters — those folks who are ready to bring home an animal the same day, to visit our adoption centers and bring home an animal.”
Rizzo said two factors are at work: More people give up pets during an economic downturn — “which really is a reality in any economic decline,” she said — and the number of people working at the alliance’s shelter is likely to dip.
If you’re not ready to adopt, Rizzo said, becoming a foster parent can help the alliance’s animals and people.
“It’s a great time to be socially distant with a foster animal,” Rizzo said, pointing out the seclusion that health authorities are recommending in the wake of the outbreak. “Anything like that can really help our staff.”
She said the alliance was considering moving to a virtual application process and making appointments.
While just dropping by isn’t the best option, she encouraged people to “go to the website, look at the animals online, and then maybe talk to the office” before heading in.
She said the alliance is closed to adoptions for cleaning on Mondays, but starting Tuesday, she encouraged people to “come out and adopt … we’d absolutely love to see them tomorrow.”
Calvin
Even though Rizzo couldn’t make it in, it wouldn’t be a Monday at WTOP without a Pet of the Week, and so she explained Calvin’s story.
Calvin is a 2-year-old who has been at the shelter in January when his owner couldn’t care for him anymore.
“He’s just been really shut down, but he’s really transformed over the past month into a fun, wiggly puppy,” Rizzo said. “He has made such incredible progress.”
He’s 50-pound golden brown, pit bull-like dog who is shy about walking on a leash, but will curl up with you on the couch, Rizzo said.
