Pooches: Dogs in Germany

We're always so interested in hearing about how other dogs live in other cities, so you can imagine how excited I was to 'meet' Stef who is currently living in Berlin with her two pups: Aoki and Snoop. Originally from Germany, Stef lived in Fort Huachuca, Arizona with her pups before bringing them back to Berlin. We had a lot of offline conversations where the love and devotion she has for her pooches is so inspiring, and all she has done to keep them together, (including 40 hours of traveling to get them to Germany!) I begged Stef to write a post to share her experiences.  

From hearing about how dogs are welcomed on public transit, in restaurants and even the zoo(!) to the discrimination based on how a dog looks (crazy stories about neighbors!). Plus, I knew how charmed everyone would be by Aoki and Snoop and her amazing photographs, here is her story:

Let me introduce myself real quick."I'm Stefani, aka Stef, and am the proud owner of two loving quirky dogs, Aoki and Snoop.
The dogs and I live in the big city of Berlin, Germany.  We moved here three years ago. Before Berlin we lived in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. 
Snoop is a good-spirited and humorous Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. While he is great with most people he is also dog reactive.
Aoki is an almost 5 years old sassy Great Dane princess. She is my right hand gal, my once in a lifetime dog.

And then there is Tigger, Snoops ‘brother’ who now lives in New Jersey.

I grew up with dogs, but honestly - growing up with them doesn’t automatically mean you have knowledge. 
Rewind - I’m shopping at Walmart. In the parking lot I see a guy offering puppies. He claims they are pure bred Pit Bulls. He is about to sell them to someone that is holding a puppy like it‘s a piece of meat. I walk up to them and end up with two puppies on my lap and no clue what I’m in for. 
Back then I didn’t know anything about backyard breeding, about puppies sold in stores and all the odds that come with having a ’Pit Bull type dog’.
Soon afterwards another dog  joined our family. The beautiful Aoki. She was given to me by my ex-partner who knew that I had a soft spot for Great Danes.

Truth to be told, I'm not proud of having dogs from backyard breeders but back then I was young,  impulsive and guilty of ignorance. Honesty is always better but not always prettier. My dogs are no rescues, they don‘t come from a shelter or a breeder. There is always the easy way of not talking about it but would that be right? I did the wrong thing, I wouldn‘t do it again but I still love my dogs with everything I have. 

I've since learned a lot and I‘m providing my dogs with the best life possible. 

I started off blindly.  Fed random food, chose random gear, random toys, did some random ’training’. Then I got stung by the research bee. I read a lot, joined forums, watched videos and talked to as many experienced people as possible. I slowly realized that I had made my fair share of mistakes. I switched to a grain-free high quality food, started  positive reinforement training and made sure my dogs had everything they need and more. 
I was dazzled by all the information. A whole new world opened up to me. 
While I’m far from all-knowing, I still want to share our story with you. 

Between dealing with dog duvets, learning about the joys of martingale collars, spending my life savings on holistic supplements I was also forced to read into the issues of BSL. Clearly it affected us. We were living a military life, moving every couple of years was inevitable. One thought led to another, one question to another. 
Why are so many dogs in shelters?  Why are so many of them ‘Pit Bull type dogs‘? Why BSL? What if we move to a city that has BSL? What if I need to go back to Germany? What kind of future are we facing?  Will my dogs be safe? I realized BSL is everywhere and affects everyone.
Fort Huachuca tightened its laws while we were living there, the dogs got grandfathered in. 
I found out that most military bases have restrictions & unfortunately so has Germany. 

Living in Fort Huachuca was still a good life for the dogs. They had private playdates, went on hikes and enjoyed the nature Arizona had to offer. The house was always full of furry friends. Snoop grew into looking like a Rhodesian Ridgeback and our vet eventually decided to  register him as a Ridgeback Mix. This change made things possible. Aoki grew into a sock and shoe-eating machine that ended up on the operating table. 

Tigger became very uneasy in Snoops presence and eventually snapped at him. Both males were neutered and well-socialized but no matter what we tried Tigger did not approve of Snoop. Managing those two was hard but doable with a solid routine.   

Many dogs were living on base but only a few of them were properly taken care of. Maybe the owners didn’t break the law but they certainly didn’t really care.
Craigslist was always full of ad’s. ’Dog to a good home, we are moving…’. 
Why get a dog if it’s only temporary? Bringing a pet into your home should be a  lifetime commitment and if you can’t keep that commitment you better make sure you are doing everything in your power to find a safe solution.

Soon life would throw rocks at us. 

To make a long story short - My partner and I were no longer together. Things changed and I wanted and needed to go home to Germany.
By law dogs are considered  property. All three of them belonged  to him. In order for them to be transferred to my name I had to agree on giving up all financial rights and most of my material possessions but those were just ’things’.  Aoki and Snoop were officially my dogs. Tigger was never an option. He was more drawn to my ex and by importing a ‘Pit Bull type dog’ or cross you can face jail time. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him or look at his pictures.

Meanwhile I was making arrangements for our flight. I was stressed and scared beyond words.
Preparing your dogs for such a long flight takes time and costs a fortune. 
In late September of 2009, after 40 hours of traveling we set paws and feet on German ground. 
Welcome to a whole different dog culture. 

We actually have two homes in Germany. 

There is Berlin with it’s 3.5 million citizens and 100.000 dogs. 
There is also the small village near Berlin where the dogs ‘grandparents’ live. 
Big city and endless forest, best of both worlds.

Germany welcomes your dog. Bar, restaurant, mall, train, taxi, .. you name it.
A law says that if you don’t want a dog in your establishment you need to put out a sign that specifically says ‘No dogs allowed’ or ‘dogs wait outside‘. 
If there is no sign you probably won‘t get asked to leave if you have your buddy with you.
It‘s common that water (and treats) will be provided. 
Supermarkets and drugstores are an exception but generally speaking you can say that Berlin is very dog-friendly and kind of laid back. 
They ride on public transportation.

They dine with you.

They can go to one of two zoos.

They can be found everywhere.

Not far from us is a huge dog park we like to enjoy on quieter weekdays, Aoki loves it there and since Snoop isn’t the most social, it’s a great way of meeting up with friends.  

Berlin is a great city to live in for dogs like Aoki. She gets along with everybody, she is calm and confident. The options are endless.

Dogs like Snoop have a tougher time. In a perfect world all dogs would be on leash but the reality is different. We have to deal with off leash dogs that don’t know the meaning of recall.
Living in a tight space with irresponsible dog owners is annoying and dangerous. 

Another of the main problems is the amount of dog poop, if people could just pick up after their dogs..

Sadly the stories about toxic bait have increased. There have been fatal accidents including dogs eating sausage filled with razor blades, nails and rat poison.

There is NO way to defend this cruelty. That being said I wish owners would step up and show a little more respect to the public. Maybe following the rules would have a positive effect.

Speaking of rules, BSL plays a big role in Germany. There are 16 states, each one has a different take on it. There are so called ‘list dogs’ aka ‘dogs on a list’. The list is divided into two categories. Category 1 contains all breeds (and mixes) that are considered dangerous without a chance of proving otherwise. As far as I know not even passing a test like the CGC makes a valid difference.

It’s either forbidden or complicated to adopt a category 1 dog.  There is a lot of paperwork involved.
The dogs have to be muzzled, period. 

Category 2 dogs are considered dangerous but have a chance of proving otherwise. If they do so no muzzle is required. 
I’ll share this link with you. It shows the breeds, the states and the category. Green means no restriction. As you can see some states don’t have a list,  therefore no BSL. 
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasseliste

The amount of illegal ‘Pit Bull type dogs’ is insane. Shelters are full with non-adoptables. It’s a frustrating circle. Often dogs are secretly brought in  from Poland. The conditions are horrible, the dogs physically and mentally ill. Usually they are seized by the police because of missing paperwork and neglect. The story of the criminal with his tough looking dog is not over but there is a big wave of hope. People finally speak up. There is political talk about removing the list and judge a dog on it’s personality, not breed. I hope one day soon more responsible people will see ‘Pit Bull type dogs’ for what they are.  Just dogs. Well, maybe a bit more special. 

If there is something we thrive for it’s acceptance and tolerance.

Living in an apartment building has its downsides. In our case the downside lives below us. The dogs never suffered from seperation or isolation anxiety, ever. Apparantly the ‘Rottweilers’ were too loud and barked when left alone. We didn’t know any of this until the day the police was waiting for us. The neighbors were determined to get us out of there. They knocked on the walls and rang the bell whenever we were gone, they literally provoked a problem. Our solution was to keep the dogs in the living room, as far away from the hallway as possible. We bought rugs for damping, let the tv or radio on and shut the blinds. Every possible trigger was considered. Healing, or should I say, working on seperation anxiety is a long term progress. All the training tips we found were appreciated and molded into our lifestyle. The neighbors still complain about every detail but they see the effort we put into fixing this problem and making life better for all of us. As of right now Aoki and Snoop are fine by themselves for 3 hours. There is still a long way ahead of them.  An easy-going, quiet dog should not be taken for granted.  On rainy days we tire them out with mental games and interactive toys. 
If you have any advice for dealing with loud dogs and louder neighbors please share it. I would appreciate it.

If we need a break from the city we visit my parents. They love to doggy sit and both dogs equally enjoy the countryside. There is a big yard for Snoop and Aoki to play in and their personal heaven - the forest. Snoop has more freedom and space. He feels safer in quieter surroundings.

He has come a long way and so did I, we learned how to manage with the help of bach flowers, thunder coats, positive reinforcement training and patience. Patience is always the hardest. He has good days and not so good days but that’s okay. He is living a good life filled with love, treats and walks. A goal for 2013 is to make a few more doggy pals.
Aoki is living to the fullest, she has never been super healthy but with the right supplements and organization her arthritis is kept in check.  I pray she will stay with us for as long as she can.
I can’t imagine my life without them. No matter what happens I’m up for it. I’m proud of what they have accomplished and will accomplish. Anything is possible (:
I know our story is flawed, I’m far from being a hero in the dog world. Aoki and Snoop don’t hold any titles nor are they the easiest and healthiest dogs but we never gave up on each other, worked through our problems and moved overseas.

Much love,
-Stef

Thank you so much to Stef for sharing so much of your story with us!