The beginning

Actually I (Lutz) always wanted to have a dog - already as a child. But my mother remained resistant and looking back, she was right. A dog is a demanding companion. It's just not enough to provide food and keep cage clean but training according to the dog's nature and sufficient work is neccesary. This would have been impossible for my parents aside their daily duty and the reliability of time of the adolescent hatch over the live-span of a dog is questionnable.

A similar circumstances in my own family: The youngster demonstrated a strong desire but with both parents being full-time employees you cannot support a dogs needs. We got our first pet when we moved into our Flat with own garden: Piepmatz ("birdy") joint our family - our first cat out of the animal welfare.

Piepsie was a good training for us, because besides regular feeding and extensive cuddle units, our free-ranger always had his own head. Regular surprises enriched our lives. Self-sufficiency was not unusual for Piepsie: wild rabbits. The disposal of inedible leftovers - stuffed intestines - was of course left to the staff. (Dogs have masters - cats staff). Unfortunately, we made with our Piepsie a crucial mistake. During a family vacation we have placed our Piepsie in a cat pension. A very nice elderly lady had rebuilt her large house as cat shelter. All animals were addressed, everything was clean and good food was available. We had found the perfect place for "city cat". A few days after our return we had no other option than to put our Piepsie to sleep. She was infected with FIP - "Feline AIDS". The nice elderly lady had adopted a poor, old, sick cat during our vacation. Not only since this day we know how important it is to have a good, committed but also sensitive veterinarian who is always available in case of need.

Piepsie followed Ronja, who just disappeared without a trace and is still on Tasso's search list. In the new house siblings came to us, which were found together in a cardboard box in a ditch. Nokai, the cautious but smart one and Anuk not so witty but brave. This combination coupled with a bad overall condition from the beginning became Anuk's undoing after a few months. Another difficult farewell at the vet. Nokai passed away in early 2021 after almost 14 years with us. She now runs on the Rhine meadows behind the rainbow bridge.

When Ute, my wife made the decision to quit her full-time job, it was there again - the family's desire of the family for a dog.

Read on: Why a toller