BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Pet Matchmaker Rescue has always saved and adopted out animals for the community. But amid the pandemic, they’ve started doing more than that.
“There’s a lot of people who can’t afford to take care of them anymore because they’ve lost their jobs," said Morgan Sokolow, the director of the rescue.
Sokolow says the pandemic has made it tougher for some pet owners to get their animals vetted or fixed because many facilities and services are closed. That why’s she recently implemented what she calls the 'Mommy and Me' program. Which helps people whose dogs have just had a litter of puppies.
“We find good homes for the puppies, and in turn we get the mom fixed at our expense," Sokolow said.
Sokolow is currently watching about two dozen puppies courtesy of the program, all are either available for adoption or will be soon. The Humane Society says pet adoptions are up 90% in some cities amid stay-at-home orders, so pet matchmaker is being cautious about who can adopt pets.
“They may be home for three, four, five months, but realistically puppies are puppies for a year," she said.
People are asked to fill out an application if they’re interested in adopting. Sokolow says she’s looking for people who will take proper care of puppies even after the stay-at-home order is lifted.
“If people are buying and adopting dogs as an impulse during this crisis we’re going to have an influx coming back," she said.
Pet Matchmaker is not open for visits. But there are pictures of every dog online that you can apply for. People are matched with animals based on their application.
