Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Berlin noise: November’s hottest concerts

Talking vernissage: New buildings, old buildings

In Focus: Get the story behind the story

English theatre in Germany: The fall edition

Her-stories and she-roes: Of struggle and success

Across the border: The best stories from Greece to Norway

Dancing in Deutschland: German Festivals in 2009

Expat Voices: Graeme Collins on living in Germany

The Klassical Junkie: Paying Tribute to Berlin

Looking back: Remembering World War II

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Family & Kids Pets As recession bites, Germans open pet soup-kitchens

09/01/2009As recession bites, Germans open pet soup-kitchens

Berlin, where unemployment hovers around 13 percent, has 100,000 registered dogs, many of them owned by pensioners and the unemployed.

Berlin -- In a sign of the times in Europe's biggest economy, poodles, pinschers, terriers, and sheep dogs are queuing up for rations at Berlin's first soup kitchen for pets.


The venue is a disused night school in the former communist East Berlin where the smell of straw, dry food and wet dog lingers in the air as a Jack Russell in a checkered coat waddles past on its way to the kibbles line for biscuits.


Pensioners and those on welfare qualify for the free pet food buffet, which opened in the district of Treptow in mid-October, allowing those with no disposable income the chance to hold on to their beloved dogs and cats.

 

AFP PHOTO JOHN MACDOUGALL

"We've already signed up nearly 400 people,” said Julia Raasch, who heads the capital's sole animal soup kitchen, run by Tiertafel (Animal Dining Table), a pet welfare association. “And our stocks are dwindling fast. Today, cat owners are just getting a single tin each."

 


Berlin, where unemployment hovers around 13 percent, has some 100,000 registered dogs, many of them owned by pensioners.


The soup kitchen also caters to other pets -- including cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and budgerigars. Twelve volunteers hand out food and advice, while keeping an eye on the animals' health.


Food rations, donated by individuals and food companies alike, will normally cover the animal's needs for four to five days.


Tiertafel, launched two years ago, now runs 19 soup kitchens across down the country. With the looming prospect of the longest and deepest recession in Germany since World War II, the group is planning on opening 30 more.

 

AFP PHOTO JOHN MACDOUGALL

0 reactions to this article

Inside Expatica
The ABCs of the German school system

The ABCs of the German school system

Trying to size up the education system is one of the hardest things facing those embarking on a foreign posting. We set out what you should know about German schools and daycare.

How to move to Germany legally: visas and citizenship

How to move to Germany legally: visas and citizenship

Want to move to Germany but haven’t figured out the details? Check out Expatica’s overview of the German visa and citizenship system.

Taking your pet on assignment

Taking your pet on assignment

When moving abroad, the owner must make an informed decision as to whether their pet is up to the trip. Here’s an overview of the factors involved.

Looking for work in Germany: The in depth version

Looking for work in Germany: The in depth version

Moving to Germany but still searching for a job? Check out Expatica’s comprehensive overview of the ins and outs of employment in Germany, including information on how to find work, recruitment agencies, employment contracts and labour law.