German Civil Code Entry No. 90a
animal
Animals are not objects, they are protected by special decrees.
The famous German philosopher Kant
A person who is cruel to animals will also be cruel to others when dealing with his interpersonal relationships, and we can judge whether a person's heart is good or bad by the way he treats animals. *
Buy: It's not that you can buy what you want
In Germany, dogs can only be purchased at authorized kennel breeding centres or adopted at pet shelters, and pet shops only sell pet supplies and food, not pets.
German pet shop, picture from the internet
Adoption: It's not like you can get it if you want to
There are 300,000 animals waiting to be adopted in Germany every year. Animals to be adopted in animal shelters (German tierheim, translated into English as animal house) have been implanted with chips, documented and regularly vaccinated. If you want to adopt, the shelter will generally let you take it away the same day without "reserving" the animal you are interested in.
Register your contact details, proof of identity and make a copy of your household registration or any other document that proves your residence in Germany before adoption.
Adoption is not free, and the cost is generally 205 euros (about 1640 yuan) for dogs, 65-85 euros for cats (about 520-680 yuan), 20 euros for rabbits (about 160 yuan), and other smaller animals for people ranging from 2-25 euros (about 16-200 yuan). These are mainly the cost of chips, vaccines and sterilization.
Germans take animal welfare very seriously, so they may ask quite a few questions when adopting, from your living area, working hours, to family income level, and some even ask you to commit not to abandon your pet when you move. Some states require an exam to allow the adoption of animals.
You can then take your new pet home (bring your own suitcase or outing bag).
Adoption restrictions vary from shelter to shelter, and some may ask to visit your home to determine if it is appropriate to keep a pet.
Panoramic view of the tierheim berlin ,the largest shelter in Europe
About dog breeds: it's not that you can get it if you have the money
Restrictions vary from state to state in Germany, but basically pit bull terriers and Stafford bull terriers (both British and American) are banned. Sometimes there is no legal ban on the breeding of these high-risk breeds, but obtaining a breeding permit may require a large sum of money and strict restrictions: including sterilization, wearing a mask when going out, and being tied to a rope wherever you go.
Adoption page on the tierheim berlin online
Chip implantation: You don't want to implant it
The European Union requires all pets (cats\dogs\mink) to have an id number, either in two forms: one is a number tattooed on a conspicuous spot on the pet's skin; the other is a microchip implanted under the skin (after July 2011, it was mandatory for all unstreened pets to have a chip implanted).
The implanted microchip is similar to that in China
Vaccines: must be given, not negotiable
In Germany, all dogs must be vaccinated regularly, especially rabies.
"Dog tax" and third-party liability insurance: do you want to pay it? Basically no way
Dog tax (German hundesteuer, translated as dog tax in English)
The main purpose is to control the number of dogs; if you have more than one dog, you must pay a separate tax on each dog. Germans love dogs, and in Berlin alone, the total income of the "dog tax" in 16 years reached 11 million euros.
But not every dog is taxed, and working dogs such as guide dogs are exempt; if your dog is adopted from a rescue station, its tax rate can be discounted. Cat owners are much happier: although cats must be licensed to raise them, they do not have to pay taxes
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Third Party Liability Insurance (German hundehaftpflichtversicherung, translated into English as dog liability insurance)
The main purpose is to reimburse the dog for certain damages caused to a third party (as with compulsory traffic insurance, unlike in different places, Berlin stipulates that dog owners should be insured for the dog with a compensation amount of not less than 1 million euros).
Basic animal welfare: You have to do this if you want to raise them
Dogs must have a suitable living space (the space specified according to the size of the body is not the same)
Each additional dog must be increased by half the space
It is illegal to leave a dog in a cage for more than 2 hours (regulations vary from state to state, up to 5 hours)
It is also illegal to leave the dog outdoors, on the balcony, in the bathroom, in the basement all day
Dogs must be kept indoors and kept outdoors for at least an hour a day
It is illegal to tie a dog to a short chain and leave it alone
Dogs under December are prohibited from being kept in tethers, and dogs with tethers have strict and meticulous regulations on ropes, spaces, etc
Many of the acts can be considered animal cruelty, the most serious of which can be sentenced to three years in prison and fined 25,000 euros (almost 200,000 yuan at the current exchange rate).
It is also illegal to use an electric shock collar on a dog
In addition, dogs bark excessively (barking for more than 10 minutes in a row) will be fined, and if your dog has barking problems, it is best to send him to the dog trainer for training.
Restraint on dog ownership behavior: Don't do it
Walking the dog must lead the leash and pick up the
Dogs must be walked on leash in public areas; walking in children's playgrounds or amusement parks is not permitted
In open areas (forests and parks outside of public and residential areas), the rope can be released, but when someone approaches, immediately call back their dog and lead it
Bring a with you, preferably with a dog leash and a. Leaving dogs to on the ground can result in fines of thousands of euros
In addition, in order to prevent getting lost, you can register for dog information for free in an organization called "tasso" in advance, they will make the relevant information into a label and send it to you, you put this label on the dog's neck ring, once it is lost, find that people can get in touch with you as soon as possible through the information on the label.
Example of a tag for tasso
Abandonment, commissioning and abuse
The crime of abandoning pets is punishable by up to 3 years in prison and a fine of 25,000 euros (about 200,000 yuan) and the revocation of the dog license.
*Kant citation:
Singer and Reagan, Animal Rights and Human Obligations, translated by Zeng Jianping and Dai Feng, Peking University Press, 2010, pp. 25-26; pp. 132-142.