As we reflect on a difficult year gone by, we’re also highlighting moments of inspiration and joy from new additions to the pet parent community.
By the end of 2020, an unprecedented 891,000 shelter and rescue pets found their fur-ever homes as Americans lined up in record numbers to adopt a four-legged friend.* At one point in April, animal shelters across the country sat empty after all available pets were housed.
To document this heart-warming trend, we collected stories from three new pet parents.
At times, the anxiety of living far from family in Puerto Rico made life in New York City overwhelming for Dalerys. So, when the city went on lockdown, she sought out a canine companion to help her through the uncertainty—and found her ideal match in Archie.
For Dalerys, Archie is much more than the perfect pet—he’s also the first step toward building her own family in her new home.
Charlotte and Nima knew they would one day welcome a pet into their lives. When shelter-in-place orders went into effect, they decided that the time had finally arrived.
To Nima’s surprise, they took in not one but two cats: Paulo and Rio, a playful pair of kitties who were found abandoned in a box on the side of the highway. From that moment on, it was nothing but love.
Michael always assumed his busy life in New York City would make caring for a dog unmanageable. But things changed when the pandemic took hold, and he left the hustle of city life for the quiet of the Catskills.
In his move to get far away from the unknown, Michael found familiarity in Oscar, a puppy who loves nothing more than to be close by his side.
From a pet’s perspective, each small moment with their human companion is the most important thing on earth—and every moment is experienced to the fullest.
With this guiding principle at heart, we’ve set out to explore what it means to see life from a pet’s eye view. Join us on that adventure and tell us about the special moments you’ve shared with your pet using #NWPetsEyeView.
Follow us on social @NationwidePet so you’ll never miss a moment.
*Source: Jan-Sept 2020 data: Adopt-a-Pet.com; Shelter Animals Count; PetPoint Shelter Reports; Chewy.com