The American Veterinary Medical Association reports a 60-percent spike in pets taken to shelters. Author: Eric Glasser Updated: 6:40 PM EDT May 14, 2021 As people return to their routines and head back into the workplace, we’re seeing a sad consequence of that return to normalcy. Pandemic pets -- lots were adopted at the beginning of the COVID outbreak -- are now being returned or even left to fend for themselves at alarming rates in some places. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now many people who turned to pet adoption to avoid loneliness during the pandemic are abandoning those same furry friends.