In mid-January, eight dogs ended up at the Vösendorf animal shelter after animal rights activists prevented them from reselling them on their own – but without informing the authorities in advance. The “Krone” reported. The animal corner has now visited the protégés in their quarantine station.
The siblings huddle together and seek shelter under a lounger. Only gradually do they dare to come out and cautiously sniff the editor. No wonder – the puppies spent a large part of their short lives isolated in a quarantine room in the Vösendorf animal shelter. Animal shelter manager Stephan Scheidl explains the questionable country of birth: “The authorities could not completely clarify their origin. You could also be from a country where rabies is an issue. Therefore, the official veterinarian ordered a strict quarantine for a few weeks, we are only allowed to go to the animals with face masks and gloves. They have no contact with the outside world during this time.” A lot of catching up to do The five Chihuahas and the two Havanese puppies were separated from their mother at the age of four or five weeks. This already has a negative effect on the development of the animals. Due to the long time in isolation, they have not noticed anything from the outside world, formative impressions such as rain, snow, car horns and other dogs are still completely foreign to them. Spring in freedom“You are no longer in the very strict quarantine. I hope that the official veterinarian will soon give us permission to take them out and introduce them to the environment. There is a lot of work ahead of us so that we can ultimately adopt the dogs.” says the animal shelter manager. No trust in people Ultimately, hopefully the little ones will catch up quickly and find a good place. It is different for the Maltese bitch “Dori”. She, too, was supposed to change hands with the others out of the trunk in a parking lot. Here one would probably have counted on the “pity” of the potential buyers, because the bitch is already older, has poor health and is not at all accessible. “Since she’s here, she hardly ever goes out of her box. I think we humans are through with her below. I don’t know if she will ever regain trust,” says her caregiver Jasmin Sutterlüti.Endless struggleIt’s just one of many stories, most of which remain hidden. The boom in dogs and puppies from the Internet does not stop, new advertisements for pedigree dogs at dumping prices appear on relevant sales platforms every day. “Krone” Tierecke boss Maggie Entenfellner has been committed to more education for years: “This is the only way to make people aware that buying a dog in a parking lot is dubious. The buyers should also be made more responsible and fined.” Animal shelter in continuous use In the animal shelter in Vösendorf, cases of illegal puppy trade are increasing. The President of the Vienna Animal Welfare Association Madeleine Petrovic also calls for more education and urgent measures. In their eyes, breeders who appear to be reliable at first glance also contribute to the problem, because although the Animal Welfare Act provides for a breeding license, a look at the details reveals that currently just a short written report with a few key data is sufficient to legally register breeding. Easy game for bad intentionsThere is neither an official check on whether the animals are cared for appropriately and do not correspond to any tormented breeding characteristics, nor where the puppies come from and where they are sold to. Legally registered breeders could therefore easily integrate illegally imported puppies into their sales offer, for example to offer more animals per litter and thus achieve higher profits. More needs to be done and a blacklist for people who have already broken the Animal Welfare Act!” says animal rights activist Petrovic. Anyone who would like to support the Vienna Animal Welfare Association and the protégés at the Vösendorf animal shelter with a donation can do so here: IBAN: AT19 6000 0000 0171 7000BIC: BAWAATWW
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