During the COVID-19 lockdown animal shelters, the RSPCA, and other rescue and re-homing organisations had there hands full with finding homes for all of their animals.
As people moved from offices and schools into their homes they opened their doors and welcomed new furry co-workers and classmates to get them through the days.
Pets became a necessity for many trying to survive the isolation and boredom that came with the lockdown, but just how in demand were they?
Was there an increase in demand?
The increase in demand for pets at the beginning of the lockdown was ridiculous for all parties.
RSPCA NSW Spokesperson Kieran Watson said the interest in pet adoptions was off the charts and there was no shortage of people wanting to adopt a pet.
"When the lockdown first started we saw a 30 per cent increase in adoptions compared to the same time as last year but they have since evened out to a four per cent increase," he said
"This however does not show a decrease in demand as we have plenty of people wanting to adopt, but we want to make sure every animal goes to the right forever home."
The website petrescue.com.au saw a huge surge in adoptions as 15,000 pets had been adopted through their site during the March and April period, doubling the amount of monthly adoptions.
They also saw a huge amount of people visiting their site on a daily basis to check what animals, if any, were up for adoption.
Hawkesbury City Council's Director of City Planning Linda Perrine said that the Hawkesbury Companion Animal Shelter found themselves in a situation where any animal suitable to be re-homed was.
Why did so many people turn to pets?
Mr Watson said he found it heart-warming to see Australians turn to pet companionship during the unprecedented world events.
"Pets provide unconditional love and companionship, a warm support system who are also keen for a hug no matter what else is happening in the world," he said.
"Lockdown was the perfect time for people to consider pet adoptions as everyone in the household were home and could discuss if having a pet would work for everyone and it would be a joint decision with joint responsibilities."
Ms Perrine said the Hawkesbury shelter found a variety of reasons contributed to the increased demand for pets during the lockdown.
"We think people living alone or really anyone looking for companionship or security were interested in adopting pets," she said.
"Pets provide some distraction, whether it be for the kids or from everyday life. We found that some people wanted a dog so they had an excuse to go walking."
Is there still a high demand?
The Hawkesbury Companion Animal Shelter continues to see a large demand for pets in the local community.
"We have had multiple times where we have no pets available for adoption," said Ms Perrine.
"The moment an animal becomes available we have a huge queue of people interested in adopting it."
RSPCA NSW said they are experiencing a similar amount of demand.
"Our shelters have reopened to the public again which is amazing and gives our animals more exposure to future adopting families," said Mr Watson.
"We are currently sitting at a four per cent increase in adoptions state-wide compared to this time last year, which is not a reflection on demand.
"We have had a decrease in the numbers of animals coming into the shelters as well during the pandemic."
What type of pets were adopted?
It seemed as though every and any pet were wanted by people from across the state.
"All of our animals had a huge spike in interest," said Mr Watson. "All of our kittens and puppies, no matter the breed, are always in demand but it was amazing to see our long term residents find a home."
"Athena was a Great Dane who first came into our care in 2017 and to see her finally leave with her new family last month was the best feeling ever."
It was a similar situation at the Hawkesbury shelter.
"We saw a whole range of animals being adopted," said Ms Perrine. "Usually older animals or certain breeds are harder to re-home but not during the lockdown.
"We found that any animal would be taken ... there was a demand for all types."
Who was doing the adopting?
Just like the animals up for adoption, anyone and everyone was looking to adopt.
Ms Perrine said that the saw all demographics of people looking to adopt in the Hawkesbury.
"Singles, couples, families, young or old. It didn't matter ... everyone was looking for a new companion," she said.
RSPCA NSW noted that there was a huge diversity in their adopters, whether it was first time adopters, experienced pet owners or young and old.
"A common theme was that a lot of people had been thinking about pet adoptions for a long time but felt lockdown was the perfect time to go for it and be home to ease the transition periods for themselves and the animals," said Mr Watson.
"If we felt someone was not a suitable match for an animal long term we would recommend our foster care program."
Will there be a fallout?
As people try to return to their regular lifestyles post-lockdown - back in the office, at school or going out - will more animals be given up as owners are unable to properly take care of them?
RSPCA NSW and the Hawkesbury Companion Animal Shelter are both positive that this will not be the case.
"RSPCA NSW is confident in our adoption procedures, our aim is always to find the right home for our animals and not just any home right now," said Mr Watson.
"We have had animals in our care for multiple years awaiting their perfect home, and a lot of our long termers were actually adopted during the pandemic which was awesome.
"With more people home to consider pet adoption, a lot of our older animals had a lot more keen eyes on them and there were plenty of feel good moments for some of the long term residents."
Similarly Ms Perrine said that the staff at the Hawkesbury Companion Animal Shelter are conscious in keeping track of the adopters.
"We check in and are cautious who we allow to adopt," she said. "The number of surrenders we are seeing at the moment is the same as we were prior to the lockdown."
For information about RSPCA NSW visit their website at rspcansw.org.au or call them on 9770 7555.