Icon: enlarge
Abandoned cat in an animal shelter (archive image)
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Many animal shelters in Germany do not place pets in the period shortly before and after the holidays.
Animal shelters in many places have taken this step so that cats, dogs or guinea pigs are not bought and given away on a whim at Christmas, said Lea Schmitz from the German Animal Welfare Association in Bonn.
The animal shelters are concerned with preventing so-called impulse gifts.
This means gifts that are thoughtlessly chosen at short notice, possibly due to lack of other ideas or without consulting the family.
If the gift turns out to be not a good idea after a short time, this can lead to the animal being brought back to the home after Christmas or, in the worst case, abandoned.
The decision about a placement stop is made by each institution autonomously, said Schmitz: "Many animal shelters refer to the new year."
Decline in donations is a cause for concern
Interested parties can now register for individual appointments.
They would then have the opportunity to get to know the desired animal in order to acquire it later - only after careful consideration - the spokeswoman explained.
Because of the pandemic, visits are currently only possible after registration.
This has the positive effect that it is more binding and a "serious interest" can be recognized.
Overall, the animal placement in the Corona year went well, it said.
The demand for dogs and cats was very high.
According to the Animal Welfare Association, the fact that there were restrictions in visitor traffic due to the corona had an impact on the animals.
"You are calmer, more relaxed," described Schmitz.
Numerous institutions wanted to keep the individual appointment rule in the long term.
On the other hand, the animal shelters are concerned about a decline in donations.
Since events such as open days, festivals or flea markets could not take place, "a large part of the income was lost."
Icon: The mirror
wit / dpa
