'Roshko' is pure joy of life and 'Hannelore' is very cuddly
Why they still ended up in the animal shelter
Hanover. The animal shelters in Germany have been overcrowded for a long time. As part of its 30th anniversary, Agila pet insurance has therefore started a cooperation with the animal shelter in Hanover, where the company is based, to support animal protection. It's not just about financial help, but also about looking deeper: Why do dogs and cats come to animal shelters and how have the reasons for this changed in our times of political crisis? And above all: What can be done to improve the situation in animal welfare facilities? At the start of the cooperation with the Hanover animal shelter, Agila investigated these questions based on specific local stories.
'Roshko' is hyperactive. When someone approaches his home at the Hanover animal shelter, he is overjoyed, jumps up again and again and literally pirouettes on his hind paws. The four-year-old schnauzer mix has only been at the Hanover animal shelter for a few weeks and has literally taken the hearts of the animal keepers by storm with his joy of life and temperament. Sabrina Mallee has been working at the animal shelter for 21 years and has rarely seen such a lively dog: “Roshko urgently needs a quiet home and a person who is willing to work with him to keep his hyperactivity under control. The excitement here at the animal shelter with all the other dogs is not good for him. He has a torn right back cruciate ligament, but we cannot operate on him because he would need at least six weeks of rest after the operation.”
There is rarely peace in an animal shelter like the one in Hanover. Around 70 dogs, over 200 cats and 100 small animals live in the large property on the edge of Langenhagen. The former farm now consists of a total of ten buildings, including the cat and dog houses, a quarantine and sick station as well as the administration buildings. The facility has over 50 employees and another 50 people help on a volunteer basis. They walk the dogs or keep the cats company. For example, 'Hannelore', a 13-year-old house cat, is always happy to have visitors. She loves to cuddle, but she doesn't like other cats, so she lives alone in her small room with a terrace. She has been at the Hanover animal shelter since May. Animal keeper Natascha Marchionna suspects that she was abandoned for financial reasons: “When 'Hannelore' came to us, she was in relatively good condition, so she was definitely not a stray street cat. Those who owned them abandoned them for some reason. It probably had something to do with her illness. She needs daily medication for her kidneys and heart, and apparently that had become too expensive for people.”
For Ute Possekel, deputy animal shelter manager, this is a main reason for the overcrowding of animal shelters in recent years: “More and more animals, mainly cats, are coming to us with health problems. The proportion of these animals is mainly 2022, after the increase in fees for veterinary costs (GOT), increased sharply. The animals usually stay with us for four to eight weeks. However, animals with health problems are much more difficult to adopt than healthy ones. This means that more such animals are coming to us and they are staying longer, which further exacerbates the problem.”
'Milly' is the best example of this. The now 15-year-old European shorthair cat has been waiting for a new home for four years. She also has kidney problems and also has a urinary stone problem, which means that, unlike 'Hannelore', she is not completely house trained. So she should be able to live as an outdoor cat where she still receives her medicine regularly.
When it comes to dogs, the main reason for sending them to the animal shelter is that they are overwhelmed when it comes to training. 'Largo', like 'Roshko', is a typical example of this. The five-year-old Kangal mix is a livestock guard dog. These animals defend and protect their loved ones and their territory relatively independently if you let them. It takes a lot of security and consistent leadership to be recognized by him as the pack leader. “But that is exactly the problem these days,” explains Ute Possekel: “More and more dogs with behavioral problems are coming to us, which often have not received any training at all. In my opinion, this is a phenomenon that can be observed in society in general. People are no longer willing to get involved in conflicts and resolve them appropriately. But a dog needs clear instructions and the owner must be able to deal with him.”
Owners in Lower Saxony must have a dog driving license, which should actually mean that they have the appropriate expertise for raising their four-legged friends. However, this is rarely checked, not even by the breeder when buying a dog. The same applies to the Cat Protection Ordinance, which came into force in Hanover in 2019. It requires private individuals to castrate, identify and register free-living and free-roaming cats. Nevertheless, more and more unwanted kittens are coming to the Hanover animal shelter. Regulations and decrees obviously only help to a limited extent unless they are better checked. Ute Possekel therefore believes that educational work is more effective: “For example, if you know someone who keeps an unneutered cat as an outdoor cat, you should definitely talk to them about it. The same applies to friends who want to get a dog. The first step should always be to seek professional help when choosing a dog so that you are not overwhelmed with training it later. You can go to dog trainers or to facilities like ours. With a few questions and observations, we can quickly find out whether a suitable animal is available for adoption.”