Now that things are returning to somewhat normal, it appears that many people are finding they aren’t up to caring for pets adopted during the pandemic.

Just like the spike in adoptions shelters saw around this time last year when people were locked down and lonely, many of the shelters are seeing higher than normal rates of returns, according to the BBC. It’s a shame because so many of those pets become accustomed to their new homes and being returned to the shelter can be really difficult for them.

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Aron Jones, executive director of Moms and Mutts Colorado Rescue told Fox 31 says returns have doubled over the last few months:

We made a lot of changes to our adoption process to prevent people from returning dogs once pandemic ended. But for the past four months, we have had an extreme number of returns. We have doubled more than what we normally do during a year.

Personally, I’ve never once considered taking a pet I had adopted to a shelter. I’ve always viewed adopting a pet as a lifelong commitment. I think maybe a lot of the people who are returning pets had never had a pet in the past and don’t really understand that.

Speaking with CBS 6 in Albany, New York, Ashley Bouck, CEO of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, says her shelter hasn’t seen an increase in returns, due to the shelter stressing that pet adoption is a lifelong commitment during their adoption process.

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