As long as we’re all on the same page that adopting a pet is much better than buying a pet from a breeder or a pet store, let’s dive right in!
Adopting a pet from the animal shelter (Tierheim) in Düsseldorf is quite simple actually, but I figured you might find an English guide a bit more helpful than translating the information step-by-step on your own.
If you’re all ready to start preparing for the big adopting, there are also a number of pet supply stores in Düsseldorf that you’ll need to get familiar with. Don’t forget that you will also need to buy pet insurance and dog liability!
Here’s how you can adopt a pet at the animal shelter in Düsseldorf:
Step 1: Pick out your new pal
You can always visit the Tierheim Düsseldorf to meet the animals currently boarding there, or you can also look online. The staff does a great job of updating the website with photos of the animals and a short bio about them so you can get a better understanding of who they are and which one you may enjoy making friends with. The website is in German, but it’s a fairly simple site to navigate.
- Head to their main website
- Click on the Menu tab “Tiervermittlung” (animal adoption)
- Select which type of animal you’d like to adopt “Hunde/Dogs“, “Katzen/Cats“, “Vögel/Birds” and “Kleintiere/Small Animals“
- Read the bios, check out the photos and pick a few that you may like to take home
Step 2: Contact the animal shelter
Of course, it’s not as easy as buying a product on Amazon or eBay, this is a pet, you will need to contact the animal shelter (which you can do so by phone or email) to set up an appointment to go and meet your potential new furry friend. Feel free to ask as many questions as need be and make sure to provide your phone number for the staff to call you back. If you’re unsure if the staff speak English, you can either ask to be called by someone who does speak English or arrange a German-speaking friend to help you out.
Step 3: Bring your new pal home for a test run
This might sound rather strange as if you’re taking a new bicycle for a test run around the block, but it is very important that both you and your potential new pal get along with one another. This goes both ways. If the energetic pup that you brought home from the shelter isn’t eating, isn’t drinking, and doesn’t enjoy being in your home, then perhaps you may need to rethink where he/she may be more comfortable.
Step 4: Wait for the follow-ups
If all goes well with your test run and both you and your pet are happy in the new living situation, you can expect a call a few weeks later from the animal shelter just to check in on how everything is going and if you have any questions. If everything is fine from there on out, then you can also expect a visit about one year later from an animal welfare inspector who will make sure that the living standards are met and your new pet is happy in their new home.
However, it isn’t always that easy!
While it’s very sweet of you to want to support the animal shelter before buying a pet from a shop or a breeder, not everyone is suitable to take care of a pet and not every pet works in every home. With this being said, the staff at the shelter are very careful in approving the pet’s new family.
For example, a puppy that was recently given to the shelter because he/she was too rambunctious with the kids at home, would not be given to a family who recently just had a baby.
It also isn’t always about which animal you find “the cutest”, many of the staff members may actually suggest that you sit down with them and let them know what type of characteristics and behaviors you hope for in your pet (eg. the dog travels well in cars, the cat can be left home alone for the day, the dog is good with children, etc.) before they give you your options.
Do you have a story about adopting a pet in Germany? Share it with us in the comments section below!
