Coronavirus COVID-19 Dog Dumping, and Why It's Different

     I posted on our Instagram @BlackEchoCompany, saying stop dumping your dog using coronavirus (COVID-19) as an excuse. While we are focused on the quarantines and toilet paper memes, even more dogs are being dumped to shelters and vets. I wanted to clarify a little more and explain why this issue is even more concerning than the usual dog drop-offs that occur throughout the year.

     First off, the World Health Organization stated "While there has been one instance of a dog being infected in Hong Kong, to date, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks."

     This specific coronavirus we are dealing with, COVID-19, is not the same as canine coronavirus which has been known for a long time. Also, how do you think your dog got COVID-19 even if that were the case? Did it go to its office job with its dog colleagues and come back home coughing? No, you are probably the one that brought it home, not the other way.

     Now to the original issue. Let's say there is enough space for 100 dogs at BEC Shelter. At this shelter on average, 100 dogs get dumped and 100 adopted per month (obviously an extreme simplification). 1200 dogs in, 1200 dogs out per year.

     Now let's say instead of the 1200 families casually abandoning their dogs like a piece of furniture throughout the year, they all get dumped in March, because, obviously, why wait until October to act like you care when you can use this virus as an excuse, right?

     And now, instead of 100 dogs this month, BEC Shelter has 1200 dogs abandoned and tied to their fence over the nights. What is the shelter supposed to do with the 1100 dogs with nowhere to go? On top of that, there are no volunteers or adopters showing up because of the quarantine. Do you really think you are doing the "right thing" by leaving your dog tied to the shelter fence over the night, fully aware of what's probably going to happen to the dog? Shelters and vets are not some magical places with an invisible farmland in the basement where unicorns play with your abandoned dogs. If you are going to abandon your dogs, please don't do it all at the same time by using a serious disease as nothing but an excuse.

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black echo company covid coronavirus