Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The State Environment Agency NRW strongly advises against giving away animals at Christmas. Puppies or kittens, but also exotic animals such as turtles are among the gifts that are often only ordered shortly before Christmas from breeders, pet shops or even online.
Keeping an animal means responsibility throughout the animal's life, the authority said in a statement on Thursday. An animal should therefore never be given away as a surprise. Even with a conscious and planned decision for the animal, the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the following New Year's days is the wrong time for the purchase.
Anyone who buys an animal should generally make sure that they are buying from a reputable source, i.e. from an animal shelter or breeder. Animals sold illegally, such as puppies, are often brought into the country with transports that do not meet animal welfare standards, are usually too young, not sufficiently vaccinated and often seriously ill, warns the state office. Alarm signs are, for example, handovers that do not take place at the seller's home but from the car, no presentation of the parent animals and missing or defective documents.
If living with an animal becomes problematic or doesn't work at all, owners could not simply walk away from their responsibility: the abandonment of animals is punished with a fine of up to 25,000 euros, according to the statement.
