Chapter 715: A Different Policy
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Of course, what Reina said was just a joke. In fact, owning a dog in Germany came with very strict rules; dog owners were required to walk their dogs at least three times a day, each walk lasting at least an hour. If the standard was not met, the government would dispatch a professional to walk your dog for you, charging ten Euros for each walk. If, during the process of walking the dog, the owner did not dispose of its dog’s poop properly, then a hefty fine would be issued.
However, nothing could really be done about dogs eating their own waste, unless they were put through strict food refusal training, like police dogs. Another option was to train those dogs to relieve themselves outside and to put a muzzle on them when they were out for walks. Although it could be seen as unfair to the dogs, it was a much better option than having them lick their owners face after eating their own waste, which would only hurt feelings…
Reina brought Zhang Zian around the shop to take a look, occasionally answering some of his questions.
What struck Zhang Zian the most was the array of pet products in the shop. Every product for a specific use––for example, each kennel had multiple options to choose from, sometimes even going as far as tens of different options. Reina’s shop was built to answer almost any request a customer could have.
They were gradually walking towards the end of the rows of shelves, which led to the front of the pet display and sales area.
The first thing that Zhang Zian saw were rabbits. In a row of custom made, glass rabbit cages––which were secured with a wooden skeletal frame––were a few different breeds of rabbits. There were Lop-eared Rabbits, White Rabbits, English Spot Rabbits, Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, and many others. Each rabbit took up one cage. The base of each rabbit cage was laid with a thick layer of hay, a stack of grass––meant for the rabbits to consume––was placed in a round food bowl, and there was even a delicate rabbit hutch made from wood by the side of the cage.
Pictures and descriptions were pasted at the front of every rabbit cage, which introduced the breed, habits, and feeding methods of the rabbit that resided within the cage. Although Zhang Zian was unable to understand the German words on them, he could make out the general idea from the pictures.
Zian walked up to the closest rabbit hutch and carefully observed it. Residing within the hutch was a light purple, Netherland Dwarf rabbit. It was small in size, round, and cute. It was eating the grass at the side of the cage when it turned and saw Zian, and then it instantly hopped away into the rabbit hutch.
Once he got closer, Zian noticed that the base of the cage was not laid with regular hay––it was scattered with bits of golden oat grass and the stack of green grass placed in the food bowl was also oat grass; it carried a rich milky fragrance.
Zhang Zian thought of Little Celery as he looked at these rabbits. He couldn’t help but look around inside the store; he noticed that, among the crowd of customers, there were only a handful of children and teenagers, all of which were accompanied by adults.
Shouldn’t the teenagers––who were in the prime of their rebellious phase––hate going out with their parents?
Zian threw his question out to Reina.
Reina pointed towards the few lines of German words that were beside the price tag on the rabbit cage and explained that, due to the regulations under the Animal Protection Law, anyone below the age of 16 was not be allowed to purchase a pet in Germany. Also according to the law, teenagers above the age of 16 were required to be accompanied by their guardian when purchasing a pet. They were also required to learn and understand how to raise their pets before they purchased––it was the same for an adult who wished to purchase a pet, too.
Reina also specially pointed out one point: in Germany, pets were not a suitable surprise gift for others––the other party had to be notified before the purchase and before it was gifted to them. Once pets were sold, they were considered non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Zhang Zian had also encountered many similar situations during his daily operations. Liu Sanlang, for example, had wanted to get a dog for Shi Shi as a surprise to make her happy. If Shi Shi refused to accept the dog, then Liu Sanlang had hoped that the dog could be returned. Such situations happened from time to time; it was not a rare, isolated incident.
If the situation was to happen in Germany, Liu Sanlang would be required to notify Shi Shi before the purchase of the dog and Shi Shi’s consent would be required before being able to purchase the dog. So if he wanted to return the dog after the purchase, there was no way that could happen!
With doubts in his mind, Zhang Zian asked, “If the customers are no longer fond of their pets after the purchase and they are not allowed to return the pets, then wouldn’t more pets become abandoned?
Reina explained that, in Germany, both the abandoning of pets and failing to provide a proper living space for pets, were subjected to heavy penalties. Such a law provided the reason as to why stray animals were rarely seen on the streets in Germany.
She smiled and said, “Earlier, I was surprised when I saw you enter the shop with Famous because an outstanding German Shepherd like Famous is hard to find now––even in Germany. I had guessed that it was close to impossible that Famous is adopted, since no owner would abandon such an outstanding dog. That is why I asked you where you purchased Famous from.”
While Reina was talking, Zhang Zian suddenly noticed that there were no cats and dogs in the display and sales area for small mammals. “I don’t see any cats and dogs put up for sale here… Are they on the second floor?” he asked.
“Regretfully,” Reina said as she shrugged her shoulders, “we don’t have cats and dogs for sale here.”
“Why?” Zhang Zian asked in a surprise. A pet shop that doesn’t sell cats and dogs? What kind of pet shop is this?
There were some pet shops back in China that did not sell pets; instead, they focused mainly on providing a variety of services, such as grooming. As long as the pet shop sold pets, however, then they would sell cats and dog––or one of them, at the very least…
“Because the law does not permit it.” Reina shook her head helplessly. “Germans believe that animals with emotions, such as cats and dogs, should not be put for sale. 90% of the cats and dogs in Germany are all adopted.”
“But you’re still selling monkeys…” Zhang Zian raised his finger and pointed at the monkey cage that was not far away, expressing his confusion with the German’s thought process. “Monkeys are put for sale, but not cats and dogs? As a close relative to humans, do not monkeys have emotions, too?”
“About that… you can only speak to the ones who made the law.” Reina laughed bitterly. “Of course, there are also places in Germany that do sell cats and dogs, but they are the breeding bases approved by the government. There are standards to be met by the breeding bases in order to raise dogs; a strict guideline is needed for the rest and exercise schedules for every single dog. For a pet shop, a large amount of money would be needed in order to reach such standards, so we have simply decided to forgo the breeding and sales of cats and dogs. Anyway, there are still other pets that we can sell.
Reina gave an overview of Germany’s current situation on the adoption and sales of cats and dogs––the price to purchase a dog was not be lower than 1500 Euros; even adopting one would cost about two to three hundred Euros. After the purchase or adoption of a pet, an additional four to five hundred euros was also charged yearly under tax and insurance. Adding up the monthly cost of raising a cat or dog, it would be close to 100 Euros a month… That’s not a small sum of money that the pet owner was responsible for. Once the owner was unable to continue raising the pet––maybe due to illness, bankruptcy or other reasons––he was still required to pay a sum of money to send the pet to a new home.
As for those that decided to silently abandon their pets as they could no longer afford to keep them, they were taking a very big risk. Through the chips that were implanted in the pets, the police were able to trace down the abandoners. Once they were found, they would receive a fine amounting to a few thousand Euros and they would be detained, as well…
The hefty cost ensured that people would think twice before they decided to raise a pet; they wanted to prevent extra losses and penalties after spending so much money on the pet to begin with.
Zhang Zian was overwhelmed. No wonder there were only a few dogs on the streets that were purebred. Germany had basically succeeded in adoptions taking over purchases, but it was namely due to the limitations of the law instead of people’s awareness.
“Free” adoptions did not exist, even in a country walking at the forefront of the world on pet protection; people would never cherish things that came without any cost.
