According to Shelter Animal Counts, the 2020 pet adoption rate in the U.S. increased compared to 2019, and at the same time the pet intake rate for shelters decreased by 24%.

“With many people still working from home, it was and is the perfect time to adopt. You have more time to spend with the cat/kitten and make a better bond,” said Angie Grams, a representative from Sun City 4 Paws Rescue.

According to a survey conducted by Upwork in 2020, the world’s largest work marketplace, 41% of Americans were working remotely in the U.S.

A representative for Sun Valley Pet Shelter, said that they had fewer surrenders because people had more time for their pets. According to Shelter Animal Counts, the intake rate at Arizona shelters decreased by 20%.

READ ALSO: 10 dog-friendly restaurants in the Valley

Sun City 4 Paws Rescue is a nonprofit organization that has been operating in the West Valley since 1996. 4 Paws Rescue has two physical locations in Youngtown and Peoria. They also do adoptions within two PetSmart locations in Surprise and Peoria.

In 2020, 4 Paws Rescue’s intake rate decreased by 41%.  Its adoption rate also decreased by 22%.

When COVID-19 pandemic first hit Arizona last year, 4 Paws Rescue like many other organizations, wasn’t ready for it.

“We had to shut down both of our locations for a month,” Grams said.

It lost a lot of volunteers as well because many were retired or older and were afraid to come in due to the pandemic, Grams said.

It regained some volunteers later in the year. Its staff also ended up having to work more hours and had to pay more for supplies, such as bleach, paper towels and PPE equipment.

4 Paws Rescue lost a lot of money during this time period, because it wasn’t able to collect donations, surrender or adoption fees.

“During the peak of the shut down and for a few months afterwards, the staff came to the shelter and found cats and kittens left at our doors,” Grams said.

It didn’t get any surrender fees from those cats and kittens.

“It got bad and we ran out of space [because] we got so many,” Grams said.

Once it was open again, however, “people were adopting the cats and kittens as fast as we could get them ready,” Grams said.

The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the pet adoption process was being conducted.

For 4 Paws Rescue COVID-19 changed how paperwork was done at its PetSmart locations.

“Receipts and adoption contracts are now emailed to adopters after the fact,” Grams said.

The Youngtown location is now open with limits in how many people can be inside at a time and mask requirements for staff, volunteers and potential adopters.

“We are continuing to use our regular adoption process at the main adoption location, Youngtown,” Grams said.

The Peoria location is still closed to the public and is by appointment only.

Sun Valley Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in Glendale that was founded by a group of Sun City residents in 1991, also is appointment only.

“This is so we can control the amount of people in the shelter at one time and make sure protocol is followed,” a representative from Sun Valley Animal Shelter said.