WINNIPEG --
Reagan Takeuchi and her partner have been the proud owners of Millie, a golden retriever mix, for about one year.
The dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in their decision to get a pet.
“We both figured out that we were going to be working from home, so we knew we had the time and attention to spend on a new pup,” said Takeuchi.
It’s not exactly a unique experience. Plenty of Manitobans became pet owners during the pandemic.
“I can honestly say in the thirty years (of the shelter), I’ve never seen empty cages in the way that we had (at the start of the pandemic),” said Carla Martinelli-Irvine, founder and executive director of the Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter.