How the Pandemic Pet-Adoption Boom Fits Into the Long History of Rescuing Animals
More than 12 million American households have gotten a pet in the time since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, according to the American Pet Products Association. The growth in pandemic-era pet adoption continues the trend of Americans turning to their pets for companionship in tough times. As TIME put it in a 1974 cover story, "During wars, insurrections and depressions, particularly, pet ownership seems to proliferate.
