The Friendship Animal Protective League humane team, led by Vickie McDonald, has worked tirelessly this year removing animals from several horrific circumstances of abuse and neglect. In 2022, humane seizures made up 5% of all intakes. Just three years later seizures make up a whopping 35% of all animals entering the shelter. We are only halfway through 2025 and the humane team has already rescued 888 dogs, cats, and a variety of other farm animals and exotic pets.

So what accounts for this staggering increase in humane seizures?

The pandemic may have created a perfect storm for animal welfare issues. The first fact to note is that the United States added 23,000,000 pets to homes during the pandemic year. That is an astounding number. People were home and felt they had time to spend with their new family   members. The long-term ramifications may not have been considered. That is to say, what happens when we return to work after months stuck at home with our pets? How do pets cope with this drastic change in lifestyle? Many animals and people found themselves dealing with the fallout of returning to work in uncertain times creating a great deal of anxiety. Left alone for the first time, many pets also experienced separation anxiety. When both pets and their owners are suffering from high levels of stress and anxiety, this creates an unhealthy and occasionally volatile cocktail that can have dire consequences. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a 25% increase in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety since the pandemic. The percentage of people dealing with mental health issues has only grown over the past few years. During that time, little has been done to address this crisis. Many people suffering from depression and anxiety are advised to adopt a pet and yet the benefits to individuals with anxiety and depression from pet ownership is spotty at best. Moreover, it may also be said that this relationship could be detrimental.  

According to a recent Washington Post article, “stress from pet ownership is common. There’s the stress of house-training and making sure the pet is getting enough enrichment — both physically and mentally. Then there are the challenges associated with vet appointments and navigating illness, as well as financial stressors and finding pet sitters,” wrote Emily Hemendinger, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Then there are the economic conditions which trigger anxiety and stress. Issues like access to affordable veterinary care, training and behavior classes, and purchasing everything from toys to food may elevate our stress levels. The fact is that while depression and anxiety do not always result in aggressive patterns of behavior, there is a much higher prevalence of violence and aggression with these mental health issues. A direct link between anxiety and aggression was apparent in a study in the National Library of Medicine, Anxious and Aggressive: The Co-occurrence of IED with Anxiety Disorders by Katherine M Keyes, Katie A McLaughlin, Thomas Vo, Todd Galbraith, and Richard G Heimberg. 

If WHO is reporting a 25% increase in anxiety and depression and there is a link between anxiety disorders and aggressive behavior, we can assume we would see an increase in owners inflicting harm upon pets. 

There is also a link between anxiety and depression and hoarding behavior. Although hoarding behavior has been identified in people without anxiety, hoarding is categorized as part of the anxiety disorder family. The number of cases of hoarding skyrocketed during the pandemic and have continued to grow since that time. It started as a fear of scarcity. Hoarding items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer were common during the pandemic according to reports by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The fear of scarcity during a crisis hoarding behaviors in people is common. For some this is temporary, for others the behavior will become a chronic condition. Our humane officers have confronted hoarding behavior for decades. Today, those numbers have risen dramatically. They have to wade through houses filled with refuse and waste to rescue animals trapped in inhumane and unsanitary conditions weekly. 

Accordingly, we have expanded our humane program from one to three full-time employees to meet the increased need. This has allowed our humane officers to better investigate suspected neglect and abuse in our community. They have built cases against several cockfighting rings in Lorain County and rescued large numbers of animals from truly horrific conditions. 

All of this has resulted in our team working tirelessly to rescue animals, provide the necessary and often costly care to treat these abused and neglected animals and finally prosecute cases to hopefully ensure these individuals do not repeat the behavior in the future. Our humane officers and Friendship APL staff, alongside many agencies in our county, continue their diligent and often exhausting battle to combat abuse and neglect of animals during this ongoing crisis. The support we receive ensures that our officers and staff have the resources necessary to continue their life-saving efforts.