Pet adoptions skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic – but also on the rise is owners returning them to shelters.

News 12 was at Northwind Kennels in Bedford on Thursday where they took in 18 dogs and eight cats from rural Missouri.

Officials say it took a 20-hour drive for the animals to arrive after their owners could no longer take care of them.

Northwind owner Peggy Smith-Berk says it’s “another sad side effect of the pandemic.”

“If you've lost your job and your unemployment is running out, and you're potentially facing losing your housing, the last thing that you can afford is also food for your pet," she says.