RICHMOND, Va. -- Officials with Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) said that one glimmer of hope during the coronavirus pandemic was that their shelter took significantly fewer homeless animals last year.
In fact, RAAC Director Christie Chipps Peters said the Richmond shelter took in 1,000 fewer animals in 2020 than they did in 2019.
However, the number of animals that came into their care who were sick or injured or aggressive was at an all-time high.
Chipps Peters said that while she is hopeful at what the COVID-19 vaccine means for people, she hopes their commitment to their furry friends remains steadfast.
"As people go back to work, we hope that their commitment to their pets remains the same,” Chipps Peters said. “But we are hopeful there isn’t sort of a deluge of people losing losing interest in their pets -- or it’s just too much for them and they have to get rid of them, which would add to our intake exponentially.”
Chipps Peters said most animals only spend a few weeks with in the shelter before they are adopted.
As a result, fewer animals are in the shelter, so Chipps Peters said they have an exciting announcement planned for Monday.
