November 15, 2024, 7:51 am | Read time: 6 minutes
If you’re considering getting a dog, you’ve likely noticed that many listings are from overseas. But how sustainable is it to import animals from countries like Croatia, Romania, Poland, or the Mediterranean region to Germany? PETBOOK consulted with two experts, as the issue has sparked considerable debate, even among animal rights activists.
In the past, if you wanted a dog, you went to a breeder. Today, the prevailing sentiment is ‘adopt, don’t shop.’ An increasing number of animals are being adopted from overseas. My dog Rudi was also rescued as a young dog from one of the animal shelters in Croatia and brought to me in Germany. Initially, he was only meant to be a foster dog until I could find a permanent family for him. Today, twelve years later, he is still sitting next to me at my feet as I type this text.
The situation has hardly changed in years
For Rudi, the adoption completely transformed his life. He was born on the street and had no one for the first few months until he finally ended up in an overcrowded Croatian animal shelter with poor hygiene conditions. However, what impact does his adoption have on the broader issue of the numerous street dogs in Croatia? I often ask myself this question when I see dogs from abroad for sale on social media. Numerous advertisements are for animals from Croatia, Romania, Poland, or the Mediterranean region. The situation is not much different today than it was twelve years ago when I took Rudi in.
This may give some people the impression that this kind of animal welfare is not particularly sustainable. Is that really the case? We spoke with PETA animal rights activist Jana Hoger and Heike Weber, Head of Animal Welfare at Tasso, for their insights.
Why it is important to place animals from abroad
“It is important that we as animal rights activists do not limit ourselves to our own countries, precisely because animal suffering is sometimes much worse in other countries,” says PETA employee Jana Hoger. She supports the work of the PETA campaign “PETA helps Romania,” which campaigns for the situation of street dogs in Romania, and is therefore familiar with the situation of animals abroad. Animals often continue to suffer more severely in other countries than they do here. Moreover, within the EU, regulations are not uniformly enforced.
Spain, for example, passed a new animal protection law last year. However, hunting dogs are exempt from this. “Galgos are still being abandoned and killed,” says Jana Hoger. In Romania, the “killing law” still applies to stray dogs. This means that stray dogs are caught and killed. The animals are actually supposed to be taken to a killing station, where they are first given medical treatment and then euthanized. However, according to the PETA employee, the dogs are often not euthanized as agreed but killed in other, painful ways. That’s why it remains crucial to extend animal welfare efforts beyond our borders and also find homes for animals from other countries.
Placement alone is not sustainable
“It is important that animal welfare not only helps the dogs in the killing stations and rehomes the animals but that the problem is tackled at the root. “We must prevent dogs from breeding unchecked and teach people to treat animals with empathy,” states Jana Hoger of PETA.
Animal welfare organizations like Peta would, therefore, also support castration projects and carry out educational work. Another problem is that Romania receives subsidies from the EU for road management. Part of street management is also the removal of street animals. As a result, there is an indirect financial incentive associated with the street dogs. “That’s why politicians rarely pay attention to improving the suffering of the dogs,” says Jana Hoger. “Nevertheless, of course, we want and need to help the individual dog in the killing station.”
This speaks against the placement of animals from abroad
However, Jana Hoger says that it is not always necessary to catch dogs from the streets for animal welfare purposes. “I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to take dogs off the street – it always depends on how the dogs live.” There are also communities where street dogs are tolerated and live together in a pack. What is still important, however, is to get the dogs out of the killing station. Jana Hoger has been to Romanian killing stations herself several times and knows the conditions. “The conditions there are absolute horror,” says the animal rights activist. “Either the animals are killed there, or they bite each other to death.”
“Of course, when you adopt an animal, you are primarily helping the animal in question,” says Heike Weber from Tasso, “but if you adopt this animal through an organization that is committed to helping the animals in a good and sustainable way, you are also indirectly supporting the other animals that the organization can help with its other work.”
What can I do to improve the situation of animals abroad?
“As an animal welfare organization, you should try to get in touch with the local people,” says Jana Hoger. It is particularly important to teach children and future generations empathy. “You can also use social networks for this.” If you want to help animals abroad from Germany, you can ask the local animal shelter how you can support their work. “Animal shelters often work together with animal welfare organizations abroad,” says Jana Hoger, “so you know that the donations will be well received.”
Heike Weber advises that it is best to look for an animal welfare organization that sustainably improves the situation of the animals locally. For her, this means: “An organization that carries out regular castration campaigns, sets up feeding stations, provides medical care for the animals, and is perhaps also active at a political level to improve the situation. Such an organization can also be supported from here: Be it financially, materially, or even through your own commitment.”
Overall, according to the Tasso employee, the development of street animals in areas where regular neutering is carried out is positive: the populations are demonstrably declining both in the population and as a result of the neutering of strays. Yet, until neutering campaigns become more widespread and the concept of spaying and neutering gains broader public acceptance, the cycle of animal suffering due to unchecked reproduction will persist. This cycle can only be broken through political action and new laws.
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Conclusion
Animal welfare knows no borders. However, simply relocating animals from foreign killing stations to Germany and providing them with new homes here is not the sole solution to alleviating the suffering of animals abroad. This is certainly valuable and important for the dog in question. In order to bring about lasting change, the political situation and attitudes towards animals must also improve. Animal welfare organizations such as PETA, therefore, carry out educational work and support castrations.