Table 2.
Table of codes and overarching sub-themes and themes. The frequency of each code is provided to show to how many shelter responses (out of 28) had this code
| Theme | Sub-theme | Codes | Overall | By organisation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||
| Impact on animals | Change in owner circumstances/ attitudes |
Best time to adopt | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lockdown changed owner behaviour/attitudes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| People changing their minds | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Change of circumstances | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Relinquished because of fears of carrying virus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Effect on adoption | Decrease in adoptions | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Increased demand for pets | 14 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Increase in adoptions | 22 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| No change in adoptions | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Effect on relinquishment | Decrease in relinquishment | 15 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Increase in relinquishment | 16 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| No change in relinquishment | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Benefits to animals | Less stress from fewer visitors | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Staff can spend more time with animals | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Unpopular breeds more likely to get adopted | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Risks to animals | Increased cost and risk of buying vs adopting | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lockdown influences animal behaviour | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Longer holding times | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Vet clinics not open | 13 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Impact on identity | Funding | Help with funding | 12 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Lack of funding | 24 | 24 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Legality | Lockdown highlighted need for rule changes | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Maintaining safety of staff and customers | 10 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Unclear and rapidly changing and COVID-19 guidelines | 11 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| More publicity and appreciation | Felt overlooked as an essential service | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wished for more acknowledgement | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Impact on organisational processes | Improving the success rate of adoptions |
Educating owners | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pandemic allowed procedural changes to be made | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| More time spent picking the right owner | 8 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Mental health and exhaustion | Decreased mental health of staff | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fewer volunteers | 9 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Overcame the challenges as a team | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Online and illegal sourcing and sales | Raise awareness of puppy farmers/unreputable breeders | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tighter controls on scams and online sales | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tighter controls on smuggled pets | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Working with other organisations | Sharing resources | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Promoting co-operation across sector | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 = United Kingdom, 2 = Republic of Ireland, 3 = France, 4 = Spain, 5 = Germany, 7 = Australia, 8 = USA