An animal shelter in Luxembourg’s capital has reminded volunteers who come to walk dogs from the facility to adhere to certain rules after an increasing number of breaches, such as people letting dogs off their leads.
The Gasperich animal shelter, Déierenasyl Gaasperech, issued an appeal in a Facebook post last month, which began: “Dear dog walkers, we need to have a serious word”.
“We welcome the enthusiasm with which people come to us and sign up for walks. However, we are not here to offer people an entertainment programme for their afternoon. We are neither a petting zoo nor an amusement park,” the shelter said.
We have recently been dealing with more frequent violations of the rules, for example, situations where dogs are allowed off their leads
Loïc Feltgen
Communications officer and animal caretaker, Gasperich animal shelter
Potentially dangerous situations
“Unfortunately, we can no longer speak of isolated incidents,” Loïc Feltgen, communications officer for the animal shelter, told the Luxemburger Wort. Anyone wanting to walk a dog must adhere to clear guidelines. “We have recently been dealing with more frequent violations of the rules, for example, situations where dogs are allowed off their leads.”
A particularly important point is that dogs should, as far as possible, have no direct contact with other dogs during walks. “You never know how your own dog or the other person’s dog will behave. You don’t know the animals well enough to be able to assess such situations properly,” Feltgen said.
Since many people visit the nearby park for walks, several dogs are often there at the same time. Encounters are therefore almost unavoidable and the risk of potentially dangerous situations increases accordingly.
Letting dogs run free is strictly prohibited, even in designated dog areas like the Muppewiss, a dog enclosure in Gasperich park. “Unfortunately, this is often taken too lightly,” said Feltgen, who has worked as an animal caretaker at the shelter since 2014. The shelter is frequently notified because dogs are running loose in such areas. “Our aim is to prevent potential risks and accidents,” he stressed.
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Children not permitted to walk dogs
The animal shelter is currently observing a particularly high number of violations in a sensitive area: where children are involved in handling dogs. “This is currently our biggest problem,” said Feltgen. The rules are clear: only adults are allowed to walk a dog independently. Minors are not allowed to walk the animals alone, said Feltgen, “not even for two minutes, and not even if their parents are right next to them.”
However, the reality is often quite different. “This can become dangerous very quickly. Children can’t properly assess situations or the strength of a dog,” explained Feltgen. So far, there haven’t been any serious accidents. “Thank God nothing serious has happened yet,” he said. “But that’s not a level of safety we want to rely on.”
Walking shelter dogs – an overview of the rules
Anyone wishing to volunteer to walk dogs at the Gasperich animal shelter (6 Boulevard de Kockelscheuer, L-1821 Luxembourg) can do so daily from 13:00 to 16:00, except on Sundays and public holidays. Interested parties must register at reception, receive an introduction to the internal regulations and confirm by signing that they have read and understood them.
Important rules:
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Walking the dogs is permitted only for adults aged 18 and over – children are not allowed to walk the dogs on a lead.
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Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
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Dogs must not come into contact with other dogs during the walk – not even to sniff.
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Dog fouling must be cleared away.
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Tampering with the collar, muzzle or harness is prohibited.
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‘Listed’ dogs may only be walked by qualified individuals with a dog handling licence.
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Dogs must not be taken into cafés, restaurants (including terraces) or near bodies of water.
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Any incident must be reported to the animal shelter upon return.
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Walking the dog is at your own risk, as is any damage to clothing or minor accidents.
Besides security concerns, the animal shelter faces another challenge: the growing demand from volunteer dog walkers. Especially on Saturdays, there are often more people than dogs available, which can sometimes leads to misunderstandings.
“Some people don’t understand why we can’t release more animals and are disappointed when they don’t get a dog after a long wait,” said Feltgen.
Around 70 dogs are currently housed at the Gasperich animal shelter, but not all of them are suitable for walks with strangers © Photo credit: Chris Karaba/Luxemburger Wort Archive
But not every dog is suitable for every walker. “We’re an animal shelter – we also take in dogs that aren’t easy,” he explained. This includes so-called “listed” dogs – currently around 25 – which are only given to appropriately trained individuals with a “dog handler’s licence.”
“We can’t just hand someone a potentially dangerous dog and say, ‘Good luck, see you in an hour.’ That would be irresponsible,” said Feltgen.
Not every dog is suitable
Anyone wishing to walk a dog can simply drop by without prior registration, as advance reservations are not possible. On arrival, the person’s details are collected and the rules explained and confirmed by signature. The staff then select a dog, taking into account experience, available time and expectations.
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“We try to find out which combination of dog and person is the best fit,” explained Feltgen. An older dog, for example, is not suitable for someone planning a long hike through the woods. Likewise, a difficult dog cannot be entrusted to an inexperienced dog walker.
We’re an animal shelter. Our primary task is to care for the animals and find them new homes – not to provide people with a pleasant way to pass the time in the afternoon
Loïc Feltgen
Communications officer and animal caretaker, Gasperich animal shelter
Another development is also proving problematic: some people see the service as a leisure activity and forget the actual mission of the shelter, underestimating the demanding and potentially risky nature of the situation.
“Quite a few people come looking for something to do on their Saturday afternoon or to offer their children some entertainment,” he said. “But that’s not our main mission. We’re an animal shelter. Our primary task is to care for the animals and find them new homes – not to provide people with a pleasant way to pass the time in the afternoon.”
“We have many wonderful volunteers who have been coming for years and do an excellent job. This Facebook appeal isn’t about them,” Feltgen stressed, noting that the reactions to the post have been overwhelmingly positive. “Many people support us and understand why we’re addressing this issue.”
Whether the message reaches its intended audience will become clear in the coming weeks and months. “We want people to come for the right reasons – namely, for the sake of the dog,” he said.
Capacity easing for dogs, calm before the cat season
Capacity at the Gasperich animal shelter has eased somewhat recently. “A week and a half ago, we were completely full. Now things are back to normal,” said Feltgen. Currently, the facility is operating below capacity. “We now have just under 70 dogs, with a capacity of 78,” he said, with a key reason that adoptions are slowly picking up again. “The weather is getting better, and people are more motivated to adopt a dog,” he explained.
The situation in the cat section is currently quite different. “It’s very quiet at the moment. Cats are very seasonal,” he explained.
Experience shows, however, that this changes quickly in the spring, “when they have kittens.” For now, though, the situation is typical for this time of year.
At the same time, the animal shelter is placing its hopes on its ongoing neutering campaign. “We’ve had well over 400 cats neutered so far,” said Feltgen. Now it remains to be seen whether this initiative will have any noticeable impact. “We hope that things will be a bit quieter than last year as a result,” he added.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)
