Following national trends, quarantine and stay-at-home orders increased pet adoption rates in Orange County. While Orange County Animal Services says this is great, they do want to caution new owners.

As pandemic restrictions are slowly lifted, animals that have become accustomed to their owners staying home may begin to experience separation anxiety post-quarantine.

Tenille Fox from Orange County Animal Services said separation anxiety stemming from the pandemic is something they’ve been discussing with the community as much as possible – especially as they’ve seen such a high adoption rate. For April and June, their adoption rate was at almost 90 percent.

Fox said they know adoption is trendy right now with many shelters and rescue organizations because people are looking for companions as they stay at home – but they don’t want people to have trouble with their pets in a post-quarantine world.

To combat separation anxiety in pets, Orange County Animal Services recommends some of the same training that you would normally do with puppies. Fox said crate training and establishing routines when it comes to times for exercise, food and going outside can be incredibly helpful.

For cats and dogs, animal services recommends that stay-at-home families make sure their pets get a little alone time each day. Fox said just like people, pets often need to disconnect and decompress with a little relaxation time for themselves. She said this is will also be good practice for when the home is quieter as people begin to get back to normal work routines.

Providing pets with enrichment during their alone time is also something owners might want to consider. Fox said puzzle toys that dispense treats or toys and games that encourage self-initiated play are some valuable enrichment tools.

“All of that said, this is a great time to train or introduce pets if you are working from home,” Fox said. “We absolutely encourage everyone to adopt if they are ready for a new best friend. We just hope everyone also prepares for a time in the near future where they may not be at home quite as much with those pets.”

While OCAS is currently closed to the public, you can still adopt via appointment. To learn more, adopt or see how you can help during the pandemic, visit Orange County Animal Services’ website.

Lead photo courtesy of Orange County Animal Services.

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