Adoption by appointment

There is still one part of the population that doesn’t know what COVID-19 is — pets.

Many pets are getting more time with their owners as they are spending more time at home, either working from home or staying home because their jobs have been temporarily shut down.

It may also be a good time to adopt a pet, as most have more time at home to help their furry friend adjust to a new environment. But COVID-19 has made the process more difficult as shelters are closed to the public.

“We’re trying to be as cautious as we can while offering as many services as possible,” said Cierra Castillo, who works at Jay County Humane Society in Portland.

Despite operating at full capacity, housing some animals in offices and even putting two animals in one kennel in some situations, the animal shelter is closed to public, Castillo said.

Adoption applications are still being processed but those interested in meeting their potential pet can only do so by appointment only. Someone looking to adopt a dog can only meet with it outside of the shelter while staying distant from the shelter’s employees.

“This isn’t a problem for cats because, well, they’re cats,” Castillo said. But dogs, she said, are complicated and have unique personalities, so it’s hard to know if a dog is the right fit with little opportunity to get to know it before taking it home.

Tara Drumm of Midwest Pet Refuge in Portland said the shelter is also only taking adoptions by appointment.

The shelter has received a slight increase in lost animals, a problem she said may get worse in the future.

“With kitten season here … we know we will be inundated with kitten calls soon,” Drumm said in an email, “as well as those who can’t keep their pets due to job loss.”

Adoptable pets and an application can be found online at midwestpetrefuge.com/adopt.

Blackford County Animal Shelter in Hartford City is also closed to the public and is only processing applications online. Those wishing to adopt a pet will only be allowed inside of the shelter after their application is approved.

Applications and a list of pets available for adoption are posted at blackfordcountyanimalshelter.com.

Mercer County Animal Shelter in Celina, Ohio, is open by appointment.

Muncie Animal Shelter is not processing any adoptions and is closed to the public.

The Jay County shelter is still offering free pet food once a month for those who need it, Castillo said. Adoption applications are available at the shelter or can be emailed and filled out on a computer, she said.

All adopted pets are spayed and come with their first round of testing and vaccinations, Castillo said. Dogs are available for $100 and cats can be adopted for $35.