Over the Fourth of July weekend, Americans filled airports and highways nearly as much as on holidays before the pandemic. For many people, the busy travel weekend will be followed by a return to the office and other activities out of the house. This ongoing transition period raises many important questions, including: What will happen with all the pets?
The past 18 months have been filled with reports of surging adoption rates and lengthening breeder waiting lists as Americans sought out furry companions during lockdown. Business has also been booming for pet-oriented startups. Sales on Chewy, the Amazon of pet food and supplies, rose 51 percent in Q4, according to its most recent earnings report. Barkbox, which sells personalized boxes of dog toys and treats, reported 264,000 new monthly subscribers in Q4—a 72 percent increase year-over-year. Pawsh, an app that matches dog owners with groomers, saw a 125 percent growth in customers between March and June of last year; two-thirds of new users were first-time pet owners. “Adopting a dog became a trend during the pandemic,” says Pawsh cofounder Karthik Naralasetty.
“Our hypothesis is that the group that waited for a pandemic to adopt the pet may be more frequent travelers, or people who work longer hours, which might be why they didn’t have a pet prior,” says Aaron Easterly, the CEO of pet startup Rover. If those people start to take vacations again, or work longer hours back in an office, they may be…
