July 19, 2024, 5:30 am | Read time: 2 minutes
I have been asked so often, “Why don’t you take a dog from an animal shelter?” Just the undertone in which the question is asked makes me angry, because it is often reproachful and accusatory. The next moment is a monologue about how great and grateful dogs from animal welfare organizations are, and how bad pedigree dogs are because they are all overbred and sick. But I see things completely differently.
I recently met someone who was proud to have twelve dogs from animal welfare organizations. He told me about his commitment to an association and that he regularly flies abroad to bring animals and dogs to Germany. This was a project close to his heart.
I didn’t say anything about it, although I had a different opinion. He, however, looked at my Australian Shepherd and said, “I don’t think it’s right that people buy Australian Shepherds. They are working dogs. They get behavioral problems if you don’t keep them busy.” Fine. I think that people who keep twelve dogs should think about whether that isn’t animal hoarding.
I’ve grown disenchanted with Animal Welfare
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal rights activist myself. It was a classic case for me: I worked at an animal shelter as a teenager. Things intensified when I worked as a journalist with animal rights activists and organizations like Peta. Anyone who is serious about animal welfare knows how much danger you put yourself in when it comes to putting a stop to cruelty to animals.
But since animal welfare has been so massively infiltrated by self-appointed do-gooders, it has become unappealing to me. They aim to legally ban pedigree dog breeding because it conflicts with their personal worldview. That is ideological blindness. Animal rights activists who advocate for this are overlooking the human element.
PETBOOK interview Social pedagogue: “An assistance dog can often achieve more than a person”
PETBOOK interview How therapy dogs help coma patients back to life
Statement on the new German Animal Welfare Act German Federal Animal Welfare Commissioner: ‘The best law doesn’t help if it’s not being implemented’
How sensible is it to “save” dogs with special needs under today’s conditions?
In the past, the focus was on ten dog breeds; today, there are over 400, including many exotic breeds as well as foreign dogs and mixes with special needs. Anyone who brings a dog into their home bears a great deal of responsibility. They are under massive pressure because they have to ensure that the animal adapts to our society and meets its requirements within a very short time.
Due to crises and inflation, however, fewer and fewer people are in a position to do justice to their dogs psychologically and financially. Animal welfare must face up to this reality and seriously ask itself whether it makes sense to “rescue” dogs with special needs under today’s conditions.
Many people would be better served by not owning a dog. Or perhaps a less demanding breed, with the support of a knowledgeable breeder to turn to for advice.
Also, follow dog journalist Manuela Lieflaender on Instagram.