Glasgow’s Rush to Adopt Pets
March 18, 2021
Over the course of the pandemic, Glasgow students and teachers have been adopting lots of pets, young and old, to keep them company. Some have been getting them because of loneliness, others because of a need for change, and others still because of the want to give housing to animals in shelters. Pets have been a big help during quarantine for their owners; why is that?
Out of the many people who have adopted pets, here are three: Natalie Bentkofsky, a Glasgow seventh-grader, has had her two cats Lizzie and Lucy for about 7 months, Mr. Floyd, a Glasgow history and technology teacher, has had his cat Gaby for about a month, and Maclain Monsky, a Glasgow seventh-grader, has had her dog Laney for almost a year. “Adopting animals is great if you really want to do it and they really help you with your day-to-day life,” says Natalie. Her family wanted to adopt cats because they wanted to provide a home for cats and wanted a change in their life. “Quarantine definitely kickstarted adopting a pet,” explains Maclain. Maclain’s family decided they wanted to adopt in the beginning of quarantine because they were ready for a change and wanted an animal to help her brother’s emotional health.
“I’ve always loved animals, my mom’s a big huge animal person, just always had animals growing, I love pets,” tells Mr. Floyd. Mr. Floyd wanted to adopt a dog with his wife, but she wasn’t a big animal person so they settled on a cat. Now, Mrs. Floyd has come around and is very fond of Gaby. “It’s just brought some much-needed energy to the household!” Natalie’s cats have made her happier and given her family something to focus on. Maclain’s dog wakes her up in the morning, helps with her brother’s mental health, and makes her entire home’s atmosphere much lighter and happier. “She’s really sweet with us and she runs around the house and is so much more energetic than our other dog, so she just made everything a lot happier.”
The adoption process is long and strenuous, requiring a lot of time, effort, and care, but in the end, it can really pay off. Pets help their owners emotionally get through tough times, they give owners responsibility for taking care of others, and help give an animal a home. Whether or not you’re ready to adopt a pet right now, they can seriously improve your social, mental, and overall health.
Raine Jeff (They/Them) is an 8th Grader at Glasgow Middle School. They grew up in Virginia and have lived there for their whole life. They dance, play soccer, like doing art, baking, and taking care of their plants. They have a dog that they got during the pandemic and adore. They enjoy learning and being challenged to think in new ways.
