The staff at the Giessen animal shelter look after found, abandoned and relinquished animals in the region. Stadtwerke Giessen is supporting this commitment with a donation of 5,000 euros.
Throughout the year, between 700 and 800 representatives of different species live at the Giessen animal shelter - dogs, cats, rabbits, various birds and many more. Each of these very different residents has individual needs. It costs a lot of money to fulfil these needs and provide species-appropriate accommodation.
This is exactly where Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) comes into play. Traditionally, the company does not give Christmas presents to business partners. The money saved in this way - 5,000 euros to be precise - is donated by SWG to charitable organisations or institutions in the region. This year, the choice fell in favour of the Gießen animal shelter and its sponsor, the Tierschutzverein Gießen und Umgebung e. V. (TSV Gießen). "The staff at the animal shelter do valuable work for our region. We want to support this commitment," explained SWG company spokesperson Ulli Boos at the cheque handover on 10 January on the grounds of the animal shelter in Giessen.
Defying the pandemic
The decision to make this year's donation to the Giessen animal shelter was also made for another reason. "We were specifically looking for a facility that is particularly affected by the current pandemic," adds Ulli Boos. The animal shelter fulfils this criterion 100 per cent. In fact, the pandemic has significantly exacerbated a situation that is already not easy in regular operations. On the one hand, volunteer help has largely been cancelled - the fear of coronavirus infection is too great among the staff. In addition, it has become much more difficult to raise the necessary funds. Finally, the animal shelter is closed for the usual visits without prior notice until further notice. As a result, the staff are unable to bring their work closer to the citizens as usual. This has proved to be a massive disadvantage when it comes to generating donations.
From where and for what?
About half of the shelter's budget is covered by membership fees, sponsorships, income from placements and lump-sum payments from the local authorities. "We rely on donations to keep the animal shelter running in the long term," explains Britta Drolsbach, 2nd Chairwoman of TSV Gießen. But where exactly do the high costs come from? "We need a lot of food, have to provide medical care and treatment for the animals, heat the four buildings with a total area of 1,100 square metres and pay our staff," says Hannah Wern, head of the animal shelter, naming the four obvious points on the much longer list. And does the maths: "We have to charge around 20 euros per day for a dog and around 10 euros for a cat."
Despite the constant money worries, the ten full-time employees go about their work with great enthusiasm every day. They do their job out of conviction. And they particularly enjoy it because it offers plenty of variety. Preparing and distributing food, cleaning animal rooms, placing animals with responsible people and sometimes preparing them specifically for this - although it sounds like a typical routine to some laypeople, the work at the animal shelter quickly turns out to be the exact opposite. There are various reasons why there is never a dull moment. One very important one is that the grounds at Vixröder Straße 16 are not only home to the usual suspects such as dogs, cats and birds, but also to the odd forest and meadow dweller - foxes, squirrels and hedgehogs are not unknown guests. But they don't usually stay for long. "We pass on wild animals to the appropriate organisations. Just like some exotic animals that we can't look after properly here," explains Hannah Wern. But regardless of whether it's a cute kitten with ideal placement prospects, a not-so-attractive, barking permanent guest or a temporary visitor who is only staying for a short time - the carers always follow an ironclad principle: the welfare of the animals is paramount.
Helping out
There are various ways to support the important work of the Giessen animal shelter: as a member of the animal welfare organisation, as a volunteer, as a sponsor for one of the pets or with a donation. You can find all the information you need at www.tsv-giessen.de. Of course, the non-profit organisation issues donation receipts for submission to the tax office for appropriate amounts.