Because of the coronavirus quarantine, many families are stuck at home with little to do and a lot of free time. Many people have picked up new hobbies and are doing activities they didn’t have time for before, including adopting a new pet. In fact, according to Vox, the ASPCA has seen a 500% increase in pet adoptions in the US since March 15.

“My sister and I really wanted [a dog] and we had time to convince our mom [to get one],” freshman Helen Lin said. “If there wasn’t quarantine, we probably would not have [gotten a dog] because we wouldn’t have enough time to train him if we still had school.”

Many people feel a new pet provides great quarantine company. Pets create more activities to do, motivation to go outside, and the chance to have a friend to have around when lonely.

“[My puppy] makes me less bored because I can always play with it or walk it during quarantine,” junior Juliette Smith said.

However, there are some concerns about getting a pet during this time because it can be hard to practice social distancing as well as care for and train a pet as one would normally do.

“We have to go out more to get supplies and bring him to the vet, which can be difficult,” Lin said.

An important aspect of a puppy’s life is socializing. However, meeting people and dogs is now challenging due to social distance guidelines.

“We take my puppy, Rosie, on a lot of walks with our other dog Juneau,” Smith said. “In the woods, we tend to see a lot of other people walking dogs and we let [them] play together so Rosie can start to get socialized.”

Other students are getting more unique animals because they now have more time to research, look after and care for these pets.

“For [my] eel, I had been looking into the species for many months of research, and I had some experience with eels before, so when they popped up at my local fish store, all it took was a little begging,” sophomore Harrison Dietzius said.

Although a pet is a great quarantine companion, when thinking of getting a pet, remember that they don’t disappear when life goes back to normal. Pets will still need exercise, cleaning, a safe environment and food.

“While [pets] may be good for a momentary distraction, it is very important to remember that the animal you choose to get doesn’t just go away when this is all over,” Dietzius said. “[People must] take the time to research and put in the effort to care for an animal properly before purchasing one and make sure [they] are indeed capable of doing this. Never impulse buy an animal.”