Bottrop animal shelter warns: Please donate sensible and salvation!

Bottrop animal shelter warns: Please donate sensible and salvation!

The animal shelters in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) are faced with a paradoxical problem in the current situation: While they are happy about numerous donations, the quality of these donated articles also drops. The Bottrop recently pointed out that not all donations are actually helpful. Instead of maintaining useful things such as bowls, collars, linen, toys and food, damaged objects, including a broken dog bed and a table, were also given in the donation boxes.

These problematic donations not only represent a disappointment, but also cause additional costs for the facilities. The Bottrop animal shelter made it clear: "We are not a waste disposal." Defective or no longer usable donations mean that the animal shelters have to bear additional disposal costs that they cannot afford. The animal shelters therefore ask for donations in kind that can actually be used or sold.

proven donation practice

A positive example of successful animal shelter work can be found in the Cologne animal shelter, where a German Shepherd woman called Bärbelchen was saved. She and her eight siblings come from an illegal puppy breed in Eastern Europe. These puppies should be sold in Cologne when they were secured by the veterinary office due to their poor health states. Apart from bears and her brother Poldi, five of the siblings did not survive the serious consequences of virus disease parvovirosis.

Bernd Schinzel, the head of the Cologne animal shelter, thanks an Instagram video for the support and compassion that was shown to the saved puppies and the shelter. The two remaining siblings of Bärbelchen are still under veterinary supervision in the clinic.

the need for support

The situation in the animal shelters illustrates the challenges with which they are confronted. While attention for animal welfare and willingness to donate is high, it must also be guaranteed that the delivered objects actually have a positive impact on animal welfare.

It is therefore crucial that potential donors are aware of what the animal shelters really need and what should end up in a donation box in the sense of a responsible donation practice. A simple call to the animal shelters could help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the donated goods benefit the animals.