No, People Are Not Returning Pandemic Dogs in Droves Despite alarmist headlines, the happy truth is most people are keeping their newly adopted pets, animal welfare groups say. Louie was adopted in October by Jeremy Eisengrein of Spring Lake, N.J., who said, “I would be distraught if I felt the need to return my dog.”Credit...Jeremy Eisengrein May 22, 2021, 9:00 a.m. ET Animal welfare advocates were delighted when the pandemic prompted thousands of bored and isolated Americans to adopt dogs last year. They also worried that when offices reopened and social life began returning to normal, those new pet owners would cast aside their dogs, like children who had outgrown their teddy bears.