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“The state protects (...) the animals" has been part the basic law of the Federal Republic of Germany since 2002 and with this, Germany became the first country in the EU to declare animal protection as a national objective. World Animal Week started on 4 October with World Animal Day. It aims to raise awareness of what respectful and species-appropriate handling of animals means. The experts from specialty chain Fressnapf are here to give an initial overview.

Animal protection is something that should concern us all. On the one hand, there’s making sure that we keep and treat our animals in a way that’s appropriate to their species and on the other, there’s the value of buying animal produce for ourselves and our loved ones that comes from animals that have been treated and kept the right way.

What does species-appropriate care mean?
Domesticating animals became a normal part of life a very long time ago, but in those days we kept animals for work or food and not as pets. Nowadays we see things differently and no longer keep animals just because they have a certain use or role. There are currently more than 23 million pets in Germany who are like friends and family to their owners and the role of these pets is to make their owners happy. In turn, each and every pet owner is responsible for keeping their pet the right way, which means the right kind of food and accommodation for the animal, protection against diseases and excessive stress and the guarantee that the pets can act out their normal animal behaviour.

The right food for your pet
As a pet owner you have to make sure that feed composition meets your animal's natural nutritional requirements. If you are offering animal products as a main meal or a snack, you can use products where the animals have been kept the right way, or even organic products. Relevant information can be found on the packaging.

The right home for your pet
The many types of animal all have very different needs, especially when it comes to pets. These diverse needs can concern feeding, social contact and species-typical behaviour, so every pet owner has to have sufficient knowledge before taking on an animal or making changes to their normal environment, e.g. with a new toy or a new companion of the same species. Nowadays we are familiar with lots of types of animal and their natural living environment, but there are other types, such as exotics, that have not been researched enough. Keeping these animals in the right way can sometimes be difficult.

Our tip: Get advice from specialists or breeders before buying so that you know the most important key data for your choice of pet! Here are a few examples - What is the minimum size of cage you will need? Does the animal get on with other animals and, if yes, which ones? How much time does the animal need a day to run or fly freely? What do you need to look out for when it comes to food? Does your pet need somewhere to retreat? If yes, what kind of place and when? You can get answers to questions like these in pet speciality stores and at the German Academy for Animal Welfare (Akademie fuer Tierschutz), part of the German Animal Welfare Association - www.tierschutzakademie.de



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Enjoy doing what makes you happy Our pets give us happiness, so they have more than earned some good deeds in return. Keeping your pet in a way that’s right for him or her is an essential part of this. For example, budgies are only happy if they are kept with at least one other budgie. Photo: Fressnapf/Ulrike Schanz (Photo printout only in association with the editorial text.) Download (1574 KB)