WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Now that people are returning to work and getting back to normal life, some owners just can't keep pets as they planned to or can no longer afford to have one.
Karen Mullens is a dog mom of three. She opened her arms and heart to Juniper, Spruce and Violet, three dogs that didn't come out on the winning side of a pandemic adoption the first time around.
"They were just abandoned in the middle of the pandemic. They found him in the woods, someone had just dropped him off in Cochran and Juniper they found in September, they said she had been running around for nine weeks," Mullens says.
She adopted two dogs and fosters one, a choice she -- like many others --made after wanting to fill the holes of a more limited social life during the pandemic.
For those contemplating rehoming, Dee Allison with the Houston County Humane Society offers advice on what not to do.
"It's against the law to do animal abandonment. There are options, you may have to wait a little bit. The second thing is, don't list them on the yard sale sites, dog fighters are out there," Allison said.
She also says that people can have the wrong intentions when buying small pets.
"Small little ones like this and the kittens, people who have snakes, are looking for snake food. This will feed a snake for about a week," she said.
Mullens has a plea for people who adopted pandemic pets.
"If you do need to rehome a dog, call a rescue, they'll help you," she said.