Zoomania seeing an increase in pets being surrendered after the height of the pandemic

Harrisburg, PA — During the height of the pandemic, many families turned to buying pets.

But now that life has gone back to normal in many ways a lot of pets have been surrendered as of recent at Zoomania located inside Park City Mall in Harrisburg.

“Recently, we've been getting a lot of phone calls from people who have adopted out from us, and people who haven't adopted out from us looking to get rid of their pets, specifically dogs, but also a lot of small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits, “said store employee Katy Corrigan

Zoomania employees said they’ve seen an influx of mostly cats and dogs surrendered to the pet store, causing a ripple affect on the animals.

“If we receive animals back then we can bring in more animals from like the high kill shelters we work with. So it just pushes it back farther we lose space and then we can't find room to bring in the new guys, “said Corrigan

Corrigan also said surrendered pets can have trust issues with the next family willing to adopt.

“Every time the animals returned, they get very stressed out. It's a it's a little traumatizing to say the least. It could also cause behavioral issues for the next family, “said Corrigan.

Zoomania said they will always take back surrendered pets but with the holidays near, employees are reminding shoppers that pets are lifelong commitments and not gifts.

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