Pandemic pets: Bringing comfort in strange times
Dottie kept Jace and Jenna Simpson company while they attended school from home.
Dottie and Howie take a nap together.
Domino chews on one of his toys.
Tara Galati’s family of dogs. In the back are Dolly, Riley and Hunter; in front are Buster and Poppy.
Buster, owned by Tara Galati of Washington, rests his head.
Hunter became a loyal work companion for Tara Galati.
Though not what April Crouse expected, Domino became a pandemic dog through and through.
When the world shut down in March 2020, people were clamoring for ways to deal with the isolation, whether that was baking bread or arranging regular Zoom meetings with families.
For many, that meant adding a furry friend to their families.
Tara Galati, of Washington, already had a house full of dogs. Prior to the pandemic, she lost two of them: a 13-year-old Shih Tzu named Pugsley and 11-year-old Bella the boxer.
Galati said she could tell her three other dogs felt the absence of their siblings.
“It felt really empty and lonesome without those two,” Galati recalled.
Her first opportunity to fill the void came in August 2020 when she rescued Buster, a puggle who spent the first six years of his life in a crate.
Then in January 2021, she rescued Hunter, a German and Dutch shepherd-mix.
“It kind of felt like (Buster) completed us,” Galati said. “All of the dogs had been so down. From the moment they met him, he fit in. From day one they were snuggling on the couch.”
Galati’s other dogs are 14, 13 and 9 years old. Hunter, who was brought to Pennsylvania from the streets of Texas, was only 8 weeks old when Galati rescued him.
“Hunter basically keeps them young,” Galati said.
Galati is the owner of Galati Landscaping. Though the pandemic shut down some of her projects, she was still able to work jobs like landscaping and snow removal.
“We definitely stayed busy,” Galati said. “The aesthetics, not building new things for people.”
While she went on jobs, Hunter became a daily work companion, and a favorite of her clients.
“He’s been riding in the trucks for snow removal since he was 8 weeks old,” Galati said.
She knew that because of his breed and age, Hunter would be a lot more work.
“I was very conscientious about socializing him, making sure he was good with different people. It got me doing more,” Galati said.
Local animal rescues have seen the joy their animals brought to people during the pandemic.
Sandra Schiller, a volunteer with Angel Ridge Animal Rescue who helps process applications, said they had about 200 adoptions in 2020. Though not necessarily out of the ordinary for Angel Ridge, Schiller said she was surprised so many people were looking for animals then.
The good news is that most adopters stuck with their animals.
“We have had very few that have come back,” Schiller said, adding that the most typical reason for a return is an unexpected schedule change.
At the Washington Area Humane Society, Executive Director Kelly Proudfit reports the same.
“Our return rate is the lowest it’s ever been. We’re just not seeing that surge here,” Proudfit said.
Proudfit sees animals as great companions for pandemic life.
“Adopting during a pandemic, and now with everything going on in the world, is only going to help people get through the stresses of everyday life,” Proudfit said.
Another dog that found a loving home in 2020 was Domino, a mix of a Boston terrier and English bulldog.
April Crouse, of Claysville, brought Domino home on March 6, prior to the initial shutdown. She wasn’t expecting a pandemic dog, but it’s what she got.
“You don’t realize until you go out how much of a pandemic animal you have. I always say, he’s literally a COVID kid,” Crouse said.
Crouse expressed that having to raise Domino through the pandemic was challenging, for both her and Domino.
Though Domino is a kindhearted dog, Crouse said they have him in obedience classes to deal with behavioral issues such as leash pulling and jumping on people, which she believes stems from a lack of socialization.
“The pandemic struck and you didn’t know. Everybody was saying dogs were carriers,” Crouse said. “Somehow I got blessed and lucky. He’s not a butthead. He’s happy to see people.”
At first Crouse’s kids were taking virtual classes and Domino became accustomed to a house filled with people. Crouse said after her kids graduated and got jobs, it was a tough adjustment for Domino.
“I noticed he just wasn’t the same dog,” Crouse said.
She could tell it upset Domino when he was left at home.
“If we would put him in the crate he would just bark and whine, and you could tell because when we got home he would pass out,” Crouse said.
According to Proudfit, the abrupt schedule changes with people headed back to offices and classrooms is not an easy adjustment for animals.
“It is hard on the animals to go back and forth, but they’re resilient,” Proudfit said.
Of course, people did not just find dogs during the pandemic. Plenty of cats also found their “furever” homes.
Jessie Simpson, of Canton Township, brought home Dottie from Fix ‘Ur Cat in Canonsburg in January 2021.
“I was not planning on getting a kitten,” Simpson said. “My kids were home for virtual school and I decided to get a kitten for them.”
Dottie became fast friends with Jace, 11, and Jenna, 9.
“It really helped boost their spirits, and she is just the missing piece … She helps them with their homework. She is everywhere with them,” Simpson said.
Dottie also became close with her canine sibling, a Jack Russell terrier named Howie.
“They’re best friends,” Simpson said. “They play, they wrestle, they sleep together.”
With the kids back at school, Simpson said it was a big adjustment for Dottie, who was wondering where her study group was. Simpson is still home with her pets though, and Dottie has gotten used to her new normal.
Those who adopt often keep in touch with the shelters through which they found their animals. The Humane Society has an alumni Facebook group where people share updates on their animals, and Schiller still keeps in touch with many Animal Ridge clients.
“I can honestly be having not the best day, and I get a text and some pictures of a dog that was adopted. It’s amazing,” Schiller said. “We have had some wonderful adopters. It always makes you feel good when you get that special picture.”