Meißner animal shelter receives urgently needed financial support!

Meißner animal shelter receives urgently needed financial support!

The topics of animal welfare and animal welfare are of great importance not only in broad society, but also in the municipalities. A current case from Meißen illuminates how closely these aspects are linked. A tragic death in a Meißner hospital affects a man from Coswig whose dog was waiting for him at home. In such cases it shows how important good organization is in animal welfare. Mario Aßmann from the Meißen animal protection center emphasizes that the community, in which a death occurs, is responsible for clarifying the case. Even if the deceased was not registered in Meißen, the city remains responsible for taking over the dog.

Another central point are the animal shelter contracts that have been concluded in many cities and counties with the animal shelter in Winkwitz. Meißen recently implemented such a contract as well as the city of Freital, which has also switched to the Meißen animal shelter. This rethinking is necessary to ensure the supply of found animals, because the responsibility for the inclusion, care and passing on of these animals is clearly with the municipalities. "There are hardly any legal requirements here, which in practice often leads to savings at the expense of animal welfare," explains an interested animal rights activist.

animal shelter in Meißen: urgent financial needs

The financial framework of the shelter are tense. The monthly income of 13,000 euros, which comes from the "Aktion Tier" and through donations and fees, are only a drop on the hot stone. In order to cover the running costs for food, operation and vet, the city of Meißen was increased. Before that, it was one euro per inhabitant, now it is two euros, so a total of 58,000 euros. In the last votes on projects in the community budget, the shelter took second place with 463 votes, which underlines the urgency of the situation.

The shelter is required and urgently needs a new washing machine because the old is defective and the hygiene in the shelter suffers from the missing devices. It is also important to finance educational projects, for example to create an insect path in cooperation with schools.

The challenges in returning animals

Despite the pleasing return rate of over 90 % for dogs, the challenges in cats are much more complex. Many of these animals do not come to the shelter, which makes the return to the ordeal. Aßmann reports of a case in which a cat lived in the shelter for over two years until the owner reported again. This shows the area of ​​tension between animal welfare and reality on the streets and in the apartments.

Freiechen cats are often not neutered, which could lead to overpopulation. Fortunately, Meißen is not faced with a stray cat problem. Nevertheless, the shelter is forced not to take an exotic from a private attitude so as not to further burden the already tense financial situation.

A look at the regional peculiarities shows that in Saxony only Dresden operates its own shelter, while most municipalities have to fall back on external service providers. These systems are often shaped by the "stingy-is-lean" mentality, which unfortunately does not contribute to the well-being of the animals. The competition for found animal contracts often means that animal welfare associations make cheap offers that ultimately lead to a deterioration in the conditions for the animals. As reported [Tierheimpate.de] (https://www.tierheimpate.de/fundier contract/), this can have serious consequences, including savings in veterinarian services or a higher mortality rate due to poor hygiene.

With the increasing awareness of the consumer for animal welfare and animal welfare, as Statista.com, it is essential that the cities and municipalities deal responsibly with their contracts. After all, around 34 million households keep a pet in Germany, including 12 million dogs, and animal welfare is becoming a matter close to the heart for more and more people.

The example of the animal shelter in Meißen is an impressive example of how important support at the local level is for the well -being of the animals. The commitment is great, but without the necessary budget, the challenges of animal welfare cannot be mastered.