Outrageous decision

Dogs taken away have to go back to the horror house

Left to their own devices behind closed doors! But now that the dogs have been approved by the authorities, they are to be returned to their owner.

(Bild: Arche Noah/Krone KREATIV)

This terrible story even made Styria sadly famous in the high-circulation German newspaper "Bild". The photo of the completely scratched door in particular breaks the heart of every animal lover. How desperate a dog must be to get out of its solitary cell, a small room ...

An East Styrian woman from the Hartberg/Fürstenfeld district had gone on vacation and left three of her five dogs behind. The Weiz official veterinarian Gerhard Kutschera (who was on call at the time) became aware of the situation through an anonymous complaint.

Poor nutritional condition
The door in question, lots of piles of excrement, garbage, dogs locked in rooms that were too small for them to be kept, some of them in poor nutritional condition - the vet acted immediately. He took them away. The two Rottweilers and a mongrel were taken to Noah's Ark in Graz.

This is what it looked like in one of the (too small) Ziummern dogs.

(Bild: Arche Noah)

(Bild: Arche Noah)

Blame denied
But instead of a happy ending for the animals, this incident led to an endless loop of unanswered questions and criticism of the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld veterinary authority responsible. They were apparently placated by the owner's explanation that the animals were "only" kept in the rooms while she was on vacation and that an appointed person had failed to care for them.

(Bild: Arche Noah)

(Bild: Arche Noah )

But: does a Rottweiler lose ten (!) kilos within a few days? According to "Aktiven Tierschutz", this is how much underweight one of the animals was. Does a dog scratch a door like that in a very short space of time? How many piles of excrement were found, wasn't that considerably more than a four-legged friend can produce within a few days? Were witnesses interviewed who claim that this miserable "solitary confinement" was not just on vacation, but a permanent situation? And that the two remaining four-legged friends were kept in the same way?

I heard myself how the visit of the official vet was announced by telephone. It goes without saying that everything would be fine.

Augenzeugin vor Ort

Announced inspections
"I used to work on this farm", describes a Styrian woman (name known to the editor). "And was there for up to twelve hours a day. However, I only saw the two remaining dogs for the first time after four or five days! They were taken outside, but only for a few minutes, until they had to go back inside, where they barked like crazy. These animals almost went crazy when they were finally allowed out for a short time. It's an outrage what is being done to the dogs here and the authorities just stand by and watch. I informed them of the conditions myself." 

Further escalation
And now the authorities have ordered the dogs to be returned to their owner. The "icing on the cake": she doesn't even pick them up! Does not respond to letters or calls from "Active Animal Protection". The love of animals must be terrific ...

 "As an animal welfare association, we are shocked by this case of neglect", says spokeswoman Katharina Gründl. Asked for comment, the authority does not respond to specific questions, but emphasizes that there have been regular checks and that everything was in order. The responsible state councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP) stands behind them, but announces a comprehensive investigation into the case.

The dog Medusa (pictured with Arche employee Daniela) was lovingly nursed back to health after she arrived at the shelter at least ten kilos underweight.

(Bild: Arche Noah)

Returning her to her owner would mean an uncertain future for the animal.

(Bild: Arche Noah )

No reaction
Incidentally, because the owner has not reacted and the authorities have not decided otherwise, Katharina Gründl says that the animals that have been taken away are not allowed to be taken out for a walk and have therefore only been in their kennels for months.

 One wonders when the horror for these young dogs will finally end ...