Many people bought dogs, cats and rabbits during the pandemic.
Now the animals are given in rows - or abandoned.
One example is the German Shepherd puppy Rex.
Starnberg -
Christine Hermann and Laura Balta can tell wild animal stories in these times.
They are terrifying, but at least they usually have a happy ending.
There is the anecdote about the tiny tortoise that someone had "disposed of" in Lake Starnberg and someone else saved.
Or the rabbit that, left in a box in a parking lot, would not have survived long had it not been discovered by accident.
The dog Rex is just one of the many abandoned animals at the Starnberg animal shelter
Christine Hermann runs the Starnberg animal shelter, Laura Balta is the dog groom there. The "most effective advertising", the two admit, is the story of Rex, the eight-week-old German Shepherd puppy. The police named him based on the TV inspector, and the women in the shelter liked the name too. A jogger saw Rex, with one of his ears hanging down like a puppy, a week ago on Mozartstrasse in Söcking. The dog was tied up there in the Maisinger Gorge. Next to him was a box with food, toys, and poop bags. Someone had abandoned Rex, who at the time might still be called or had no name at all. But they also wanted them to be found.
The jogger called the police, who brought the little male to the office - and because no owner reported to the shelter one day later.
Seven dogs, eight rabbits and more than 15 cats currently live there, which the manager Hermann describes as "Corona returns".
A common phenomenon.
Many people who bought an animal in the sometimes lonely pandemic no longer want it - or can no longer take care of it.
"Since the abolition of the home office obligation, we have been overrun with handover requests," says Balta.
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Poop bags, food, toys: this box was standing next to Rex when a jogger found him in the Maisinger Gorge.
© Starnberg animal shelter
Shelter workers are not angry, they offer their help
But the zookeepers don't scold irresponsible people.
They spread their arms: “We don't blame anyone,” says Hermann.
"We help.
Nobody should get into the situation of putting a dog or a hamster or a guinea pig in mortal danger. ”The animal shelter has built up a care network and is also joining forces with other institutions - so that all abandoned animals can somehow find shelter in this difficult time.
Dog carer Balta knows it when puppies reach puberty and start to bite.
Then suddenly they are no longer so cute for their masters.
Or when illnesses arise in them.
Like Rex.
“He has massive problems with his knees and hips and his ligaments are far too weak.
We hope that some things will grow together. "
With the beginning of the summer holidays, many animals are given away (video)
Dog Rex probably comes from a mass breeding facility in Romania
Balta suspects that the dog that was chipped in Romania came from a mass breeding facility.
For them a possible indication of bad breeding and illegal puppy trade.
There was also a reference from witnesses - to a man who was overwhelmed with the puppy.
"Shepherds are difficult at that age: They nibble on their hands and feet and are not house-trained," says Balta.
She is now working on Rex's upbringing in order to be able to convey "a well-socialized young dog" in seven weeks.
Many have already offered Rex a new home, so the animal shelter asks to refrain from further inquiries.
The male has gone viral, as it is said with a view to the huge solidarity on the Internet.
More than 2000 Facebook users shared a post from the shelter, and more than 160,000 became aware of it.
Balta: "That shows how many people have their hearts in the right place."
All over Bavaria, rows of animals are brought back to the animal shelter.
The situation in Freising is no different.
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