Not every vacation spot is a dream destination for dogs. Dog owners see that too. But instead of rescheduling, many prefer alternative accommodation for their four-legged friends. Pension places are rare.
The wanderlust after two years of the pandemic is also leaving its mark on dog owners. But instead of vacationing with your four-legged friend, the longing for animal-free relaxation suddenly seems to be very popular. Animal boarding houses feel this clearly and can hardly save themselves from inquiries.
"Except for a few remaining places, we are fully booked until October," reports Jennifer Sonnendecker from the "Mosel Dogs" dog hotel in Schweich (Rhineland-Palatinate) for her 20 to 25 places. Animal pension operator Michael Wahl in Kleinbittersdorf (Saarland) also reports hundreds of calls. The 22 kennel places are assigned in the next few weeks and for the whole of August.
"We have so many new customers that we had to inform our regular customers to book quickly because otherwise the seats would be gone," says daughter-in-law Lisa Wahl. Barbara Krauss was lucky. She's relieved that her two French bulldogs are staying at the Wahls. "I'm glad I found accommodation for her for our vacation," she says. So far, the two eight-year-old bitches have always come along, but a week in southern France is now too hot for them.
Jennifer Sonnendecker explains the rush primarily by the fact that many people bought a dog during the pandemic, and many also got a second one. "There's just this more of dogs," she says. It is also conceivable that owners today prefer holiday destinations without their four-legged friend more often than in the past. Andreas Lindig from the German Animal Welfare Association Rhineland-Palatinate is surprised: "The normal way is actually that you take the dog with you on vacation. After all, it is a pack animal, and the pack is the family."
However, Lindig refused to take the dog on a flight and put it in the hold. "This is extremely stressful for the animals," he says. In his opinion, as a dog owner, you should always consider "whether my dog is worth so much to me that I plan my vacation in such a way that the destination is easy to reach by car".
However, if you cannot or do not want to take your dog with you, Frederick Guldner from the Tierschutzverein 1924 Saarbrücken advises that you leave the dogs with friends or relatives. Or in a pension. However, you should definitely take a look at the facilities beforehand and leave the animals there for a test to see how they behave and whether they feel comfortable.
If you decide to take your dog with you on holiday, you should definitely plan enough breaks for the journey and, depending on the travel destination, take care of the appropriate vaccinations and the European pet passport in advance. If you have a so-called list dog, you should also find out about legal regulations beforehand. "There are countries where transit is also forbidden for them," says Guldner.
Of course, a holiday on the beach in Holland is perfect for some dogs, but southern countries are not fundamentally unsuitable for them either. Ultimately, it always depends on the individual dog how sensitive it is to heat.
According to Andreas Lindig, holiday planning should always be done in such a way "that the dog also benefits". With such four-legged friends, who always go to the cold tiles at home, you should consider whether you should take them to even hotter areas.
He understands those who prefer to vacation in the Maldives as often as possible. "Then I should postpone getting a dog until it fits better into my philosophy of life," says the animal rights activist. You don't have to do without contact with dogs: You can help the currently overburdened animal shelters and go for a walk with the dogs every now and then.
