With the arrival of the pandemic there has been a real boom in dog adoptions. According to the survey commissioned by “Facile.it” to “Emg different”, approximately 3.4 million Italians made this choice between 2020 and 2021 (21.6% of owners). Love at first sight, but not for everyone if we consider that – says the note – after the lockdown, over 117 thousand owners have changed their minds by returning the animal to the kennel or entrusting it to another family. 28.3% of those who have taken a dog in the last 2 years said they had done so specifically to ease the lockdown and about 196,000 individuals admitted to having taken it only to circumvent the limits on mobility imposed by the government at that time (5 , 7%).
The main reason the owners gave up on the company of the dog adopted during the pandemic was that, once the lockdown was over, they realized that the animal became too complex to manage and therefore did not want it anymore (63%). In other cases, however, the decision was made following material damage caused by credit lines (37%).
“It is a pity that many Italians give up the joy of the company of a dog or a cat for fear of the damage that the animal could cause”, says Irene Giani, head of animal insurance at Facile.It, “today there are many insurance companies for dogs and cats that, with a few tens of euros a year, not only protect their owners from the economic risks associated with the animal’s exuberance but can also assist in the event of a trip with our four-legged friends “. “At a time when the summer holidays are about to begin – adds Giani – it is important to know in order to try to counteract the terrible phenomenon of abandonments more and more”.
Adding up dogs and cats, the total number of Italians who have taken an animal in the last 2 years rises to just over 5 million, i.e. 23.2% of those who have a 4-legged companion (percentage that reaches 31 , 7% among respondents resident in the south). It must be said, however, that the pandemic was a lever especially for residents in the north west, where the percentage of those who declared they had taken a pet to ease the lockdown is 38.4% (compared to 24 , 5% detected at national level).