How Pandemic Pets are Helping Brown Families Cope

Among all the changes COVID-19 has brought, one has been rising pet ownership, even among previously reluctant Brown families, who are now warming up to the idea of adding a furry friend to their home. Brown people who have adopted pets during the pandemic shared their stories of personal healing, hilarious pet antics, and how their parents went from “no dogs” to “this is my puppy now.”

“Our neighbor had an accidental litter of puppies [in May this year] and offered us one. I called a family meeting, and shockingly, mama didn't say no,” Birmingham-based content strategist Farsa Chaudhry told me. “Which I took as a yes,” she added. And just like that, Meeko, a teeny-tiny chocolate-brown mutt, was officially adopted.