By Susan Doktor

The advent of the global pandemic brought countless changes in its wake. As a pet sitter, you may have experienced a drop-off in your business as global travel restrictions, local lockdown orders, and the general decimation of the tourist industry kept pet parents at home. But recent reporting from Money.com may portend good news for your business and for the pets you care for.

A Little Bit of Background

The Money.com study comes at a time when pet ownership is on the rise. The number of pet adoptions nationwide climbed sharply almost as soon as the pandemic arrived on US shores. Many pet shelters were, perhaps for the first time in their history, faced with a happy dilemma. Their kennels were empty or near empty. Would-be pet parents were put on waiting lists until shelters were able to replenish their “inventory” of four-legged friends. While most pandemic pets were rescued from shelters (37%), professional breeders have also experienced an uptick in sales.

But no matter where their pets came from, people feel great about the experience they had picking out the perfect companion. Paul Reynolds, an insurance editor for Money.com who wrote the comprehensive report on the survey’s findings, noted, “One of the most surprising findings of our study was pet adopters’ extraordinarily high satisfaction with the experience choosing a new pet during the pandemic. An overwhelming 95% of buyers were satisfied with the experience of getting a new pet, a level of positivity that’s rare for any purchase.” The upshot is that pups and kitties are coming home and getting the love they deserve. In fact, as another section of Money.com’s survey revealed, they may be getting more of it than ever before.

Feelings and Facts Behind the Pet

What’s behind the sudden increase in pet ownership? Money.com uncovered two overriding factors. The first is social isolation. Fear of the virus and, in many cases, local lockdown orders, separated us from our friends and family. Social gatherings outside our homes ground to a halt as restaurants, theme parks, and sports venues were forced to shutter their windows. This abrupt loss of human companionship inspired people to seek the companionship of pets: more than half of respondents to Money.com’s survey cited loneliness as their reason for welcoming a new pet home.

But people have felt lonely before, you might say. That’s a pretty common motivation for seeking out animal companionship, right? So why the sudden surge? Arguably, some of us have never felt quite so lonely as we have during the pandemic. Our emotions have been laid bare as we’ve felt our health and safety threatened and the constant seclusion is getting to us. But a second, more practical force is also at work.

Money.com discovered that one key barrier to pet ownership was broken down by the pandemic. With so many employees sent home from their workplaces (and sadly, so many unemployed), people who never felt they had the time to devote to a pet unexpectedly had hours every day to spend at home with their furry companions. Among survey respondents, 72% told Money.com they had always wanted a pet. 68% said that having more time at home strongly influenced their decision to become pet parents and 67% cited having more free time as a motivator.

Changing Pet/Parent Dynamics

As a pet lover, you might feel your heart is as full of affection for animals as it could possibly get. But one of the most delightful data points coming out of Money.com’s research is that pet parents are finding their attachment to their pets have deepened. Six out of ten of the pet owners Money spoke with reported that they cherish their pets more now than they did before the COVID-19 crisis. Half reported showing their pets more affection. Dog and cat parents demonstrated this dynamic about equally, as did owners of purebred and mix-breed animals. Urban dwellers were more likely than suburbanites and rural residents to report an extra rush of love.

It doesn’t appear that all that love is turning into more walks, runs, or romps in the woods, though. Only 40% of respondents reported that they were walking their pets more often now than they had previously. But dog owners still have a health edge over the rest of the population. Typically, they spend two-thirds more time walking than their dog-less neighbors and are four times more likely to meet the physical activity guidelines medical experts recommend.

Pandemic Spending Trends

One might assume that all the extra love pets are getting would translate into lots of spending—and a bunch of spoiled, fat fur babies. But among the group Money.com spoke with, pet supply spending held steady despite the whole world being shaken up by COVID-19. Many online pet supply companies have posted record revenue during the pandemic, including Chewy.com which experienced three consecutive quarters of growth near 50%. But the revenue boosts online retailers are seeing are more likely driven by the overall shift to online shopping we’ve been experiencing for years that was, of course, exacerbated by the pandemic.

Pet Health is Paramount

As human health concerns moved to the forefront of our minds, Money.com probed how attitudes toward pet healthcare may have changed during the pandemic. Pet parents trust their veterinarians in overwhelming numbers: 74% say they trust their vets to only recommend necessary care. Although professional appointments related to animal care became more difficult to schedule during the pandemic, about three-quarters of pet owners have kept up with annual wellness visits and routine vaccinations. Purebred animals, who often experience more frequent orthopedic health problems, allergies, and cancers, were more likely to visit the vet more than once a year. Overall, the love we feel for our pets was underscored by the Money.com survey. 67% of respondents told researchers that they’d pay any amount of money—even more than they could reasonably afford—to get their pets life-saving medical care. Taking personal finances into account increased that figure significantly to 82%.

There’s a growing awareness among pet parents that pet health insurance is one way to bring down the cost of veterinary services. But the pet insurance industry has some work to do. Only 56% of respondents were familiar with the concept of pet insurance and many of those who were misunderstood how pet insurance works. While the best pet insurance policies cover a wide range of illnesses and accidents, many don’t cover routine care and nearly all exclude preexisting conditions from coverage. Like all insurance policies, pet policies come with deductibles—something 39% of Money.com’s research subjects didn’t know.

What’s on the Horizon for Pet Sitters?

The travel and hospitality sectors have suffered massive losses since the global pandemic emerged. Chances are, some of your regular clients called off trips they had planned, or never planned them at all. But travel industry analysts are optimistic. And you should be, too. Vaccine availability, an economy that’s slowly recovering, and our burning desire to get away, is expected to spur a travel rebound. A January study by the American Hotel and Lodging Association reported that 56% of Americans plan to travel for leisure in 2021, which is on par with pre-pandemic years.

But pet sitters should anticipate some business changes. Tara Hubbard, an animal advocate with more than two decades’ experience working with rescued pets and professional rescue organizations points out that, as rescued animals represent an increasing share of pets, pet sitters should be prepared for a different character of clientele. “Shelter pets are more susceptible to separation anxiety. Often, little is known about their history. They may have suffered abuse. Some have seen difficult times on the streets that left them feeling threatened and insecure,” she points out. “While most settle happily into their homes, when their routines are disrupted, they may turn to unpleasant behavior as a way of expressing their anxiety.” Having mom or dad disappear for two weeks certainly amounts to a break in routine—particularly for pets who’ve had constant companionship during the pandemic.

Pet parents can prepare their furry family members for the change in routine by regularly leaving them alone for short periods. That’s a good idea regardless of whether they were adopted from a shelter, of course. As a pet sitter, you may want to schedule some practice sessions. Spend a little time in the company of your future charges and their parents before departure day. It’s an investment that could pay off in the form of a less stressful, more successful sit. And while a bag of treats is always nice, we’ve all been under tremendous strain for the past year. So, bring an extra measure of patience with you, too.

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Author Bio:

Susan Doktor is a journalist, business strategist, and principal at Branddoktor. She writes on a wide range of topics, including finance, pets, parenthood, and health and wellness. Susan is owned by Sophie, a golden retriever breeding program drop-out. You can follow them both on Twitter @branddoktor.