Pets become essential to owners amid months of uncertainty and safer-at-home orders

Andy Tran, a fifth-year mathematics major, and Koji, a Maltese Shih Tzu puppy. Photo courtesy of Andy Tran.

For some Long Beach residents, their recently adopted pets became more than just a comforting companion to have when stay-at-home orders began in March. 

Their pets became what they looked forward to. 

Andy Tran is a fifth-year mathematics major at Long Beach State who took in Koji, a Maltese Shih Tzu puppy, from a family friend that was no longer able to care for him.

Tran, who used to have two dogs before his sister moved out and took one of them with her, said that it was better for the family’s atmosphere to have a second dog.

“Dogs are therapy,” Tran said. “They’re more [like] family members.”

Koji, which means little in Japanese, is playful, and, according to Tran, crys a lot. But for Tran, having Koji around gives him a sense of responsibility and motivation after months of following social distancing and stay-at-home orders.

Koji, still a puppy, bites on people’s toes, according to his owner and CSULB student Andy Tran. Photo courtesy of Andy Tran.

And for anyone looking to adopt a pet, Tran said to have patience and recognize that it can be difficult to keep up with care. But, he said, the reward was worth it. 

“Everything just comes together,” Tran said. “The return on happiness is exponential.” 

According to a study done by Lombardo Homes, a Michigan-based home development and real estate company, Long Beach ranked ninth out of 50 cities nationwide for the most searches related to pet adoption. 

Pug Nation L.A., a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehoming pugs that have been abandoned, neglected or displaced saw an increase in adoptions since the start of the pandemic.

Owner Sheela Pawar was given Spartacus after she saw him on Craigslist. Photo courtesy of Sheela Pawar.

Sheela Pawar, a professor of philosophy at California State University Dominguez Hills, adopted her dog Spartacus through Craigslist.

Pawar said she felt lonely and missed the security of having a dog since her former dog had died. 

But one day, Pawar was on the website and saw him. Spartacus’s previous owner felt comfortable giving him to Pawar, and now, the three-year-old Australian Shepard is glued to Pawar’s side.

“It’s not like being home alone,” Pawar said. “You got another being that you can interact with. He’s good company.”

Long Beach residents Andres Trujillo and his fiancée had been looking to adopt a cat when non-essential businesses had been ordered to close in March. 

The couple realized that with Trujillo now at home due to the pandemic, it would be the right time to adopt.

Andres Trujillo holds his three-year old cat, Ethel. Paris Barraza/ Daily Forty-Niner

“We went right before they shut the SPCA down and I walked in, looked at [Ethel] and said ‘That’s our cat.’”

Ethel, a three-year-old cat, became a needed addition to Trujillo’s life. He said that for a period of time, he was close to a depressive state due to his concern and uncertainty that the pandemic brought to their lives.

Trujillo said that because of Ethel, he gets up every morning and that she keeps him company while his fiancée works during the day.

“For the two of us, [Ethel] makes us feel like a family now,” Trujillo said.