Ryan Fish/KEYT
Holiday pet toys remain a popular gift for families.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Small pet shops across the South Coast are weathering 2020 s small business struggles as more families adopt animals during the pandemic.
A Santa Barbara Humane Society spokesperson says its combined campuses in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria have facilitated more than 1,300 adoptions so far this year better than 60 percent of last year s number during the same period, despite an extended closure and reduced animal intake due to the pandemic.
The rush to find a pet isn t slowing down yet, either. December is currently on track to be the Humane Society s busiest adoption month since the pandemic began.