This supposed crisis is taking several forms. Now, though, “pandemic puppies” has a assumed a more ominous meaning: this is a generation of dogs whose acquisition during the pandemic is an unfolding welfare crisis. Initially, “pandemic puppies” were hailed as quiet heroes, furry life rafts for a population of humans drowning in social isolation, loneliness, anxiety and depression. With human social contact winnowed down to almost nothing, people turned to dogs for emotional support and safe companionship. Woven into these choices was an element of self-interest.
Others felt called to make a difference by adopting an adult dog from a shelter or rescue. Some seized on the chance to raise a puppy, whose first few months within a human home require a great deal of supervision and attention. People whose pre-COVID lifestyle wasn’t conducive to dog ownership, whether because of long work or school hours outside the home or because of demanding travel schedules, were finally able to make their canine fantasies come true. We know the general contours of why dogs suddenly seemed even more popular than ever before. Dogs, we are told, were adopted in record numbers over the past year and a half, shelters and rescues emptied out, and breeders had huge waiting lists for new “stock.” Indeed, such has been the dog-acquisition frenzy that the phrase “pandemic puppies” has become a COVID-era catchphrase. Among the more persistent points of fascination throughout the COVID pandemic has been the tectonic shift occurring within the dog-human relationship.