Some 20 employees rely on the help of a multitude of volunteers to care for all the pets currently at the animal shelter - dogs require walking and all animals benefit from interacting with more humans.
However, the shelter continues to struggle as it has reached full capacity, a sadly common phenomenon over the summer. Last year alone, the shelter cared for 461 dogs and 399 cats. Currently, there are 80 dogs based at the shelter.
It is a regular trend at the shelter for numbers to rise in the summer. There used to a rather devastating phenomenon in which people would get rid of their pets when they go on holiday, instead of finding an animal hotel or a petsitter. These people would just leave their pets in the woods, unleash them and let them loose, and generally abandon the pets that had grown to love them.
The animal shelter's staff is relieved that this cruel phenomenon is on the decline - thankfully, the prevalence of microchipping, which makes the owner's details, number, and address easily accessible, has put people off abandoning their pets.
The Déierenasyl has separate facilities for its dogs and cats, the cat house currently being at full capacity with around 40 cats. The shelter cannot accept any more cats as tensions are already high. According to one staff member, full capacity makes things difficult for the cats themselves.
The cats fight, get into tussles, and throw up from the stress of being overcrowded. In addition to not having the facilities to cater for additional pets, the shelter has to keep the wellbeing of their current tenants in mind.
In an average month, the shelter goes through around 600 kilograms of dog food and 40 kilograms kibble for cats. The monthly wet food for cats amounts to some 200 cans.
However, things are not that simple. The shelter also deals with sick animals, as well as animals with diabetes or kidney issues. The staff have to divide food and medication based on the dogs' requirements. Thankfully, the use of technology comes in handy here. A tablet allows all staff members to keep track of who needs what.
Finally, the shelter does have some rewarding figures. In 2018, 360 cats were adopted alongside 242 dogs. The Déierenasyl relies on the help of its volunteers and is a not-for-profit organisation.
Video report in Luxembourgish.
