1 in 6 Canadians welcome pandemic pets to combat COVID loneliness

With Canadians spending more time at home, pandemic pets are becoming more and more common for those seeking a source of joy and companionship during these strange times. In fact, a recent survey commissioned by ROYALE found that an impressive 1 in 6 Canadians have welcomed a cat or dog into their family since the start of the pandemic, with 90 per cent of Canadians agreeing that it is important to find forever homes for the 100,000 cats and dogs in need of adoption in Canada every year.

Almost one third (31%) did it because they felt lonely during the pandemic and thought a pet would help.
Over half (56%) did it for companionship, either for themselves or their families.
Over half (52%) did it to give an animal in need a forever home.

To generate awareness and funds for its 100+ animal shelter partners, and to celebrate National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, the ROYALE Home for Every Pet Project will be hosting a Virtual Pet Fair where Canadians can support by visiting royale.ca/pets and making a donation to their local animal shelter. ROYALE will also match each donation on April 30th, up to $500 per partner organization!

If you want to learn more about how the pandemic has impacted pet adoption across Canada, you can find additional findings from our survey below. You can also visit royale.ca/pets for more information on this year’s ROYALE Home for Every Pet Project.

ROYALE Omnibus Survey Findings:

Since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Canada last year, 1 in 6 (16%) Canadians welcomed a cat or dog into their family.
Of those who welcomed a dog or cat since the pandemic began:
One third (31%) did it because they felt lonely during the pandemic and thought that a pet would help
Over 1 in 5 (22%) did it to encourage them to walk or exercise more
Over half (56%) did it for companionship, either for themselves or for their families
Over half (52%) did it to give an animal in need a forever home
1 in 4 (25%) did it to help reduce stress
96% of Canadians agree that a pet is a source of joy for a family
97% of Canadians agree that a pet is a source of companionship
90% of Canadians agree that it is important to find forever homes for the 100,000 cats and dogs in need of adoption in Canada every year
94% of Canadians agree that it is important to support local animal shelters
88% of Canadians agree it is important that Canadian brands help Canadian animal shelters

Shelter Support

In only its first year, the ROYALE^® Home for Every Pet Project has shelter partners in every province across Canada, helping over 60 locations by contributing ROYALE^® products and helping to fund in-shelter improvements.

ROYALE^® is working to drive awareness for pet adoption across Canada. It is our goal that this awareness will benefit shelters nationwide by encouraging adoption, community volunteerism, and donations toward this incredibly important cause.

We are currently working on our upcoming plans and will continue helping organizations across Canada who share our mission of finding every pet a loving, forever home. Please contact us at pets@nullroyale.ca to learn more about ROYALE^® Home for Every Pet Project shelter partnerships, or check out the stories of pets who’ve already found their forever homes here.

Media release and images provided by Aliyya Rashid, Citizens Relations. Feature image: Balou