Whether furred or bristled, scaled or feathered, many animals in need find refuge in our Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center. And we have been doing this for 20 years. This is also made possible by the project sponsorships! Over 400 animals now live on the 13-hectare site in Kappeln on the Schlei in Schleswig-Holstein. Each of these creatures has its own personality and its own story.

Abused horses, confiscated parrots, traumatized dogs, abandoned reptiles, neglected pot-bellied pigs or seabirds whose plumage is caked with oil - the gates at Weidefeld are open to those animals for whom no one else has a place. Here they can recover from the hardships of their past, are lovingly nursed back to health by our animal keepers and given a second chance.

We are able to place many of the pets in caring hands. And we release wild animals into the wild when they are healthy again. Some of the residents also find a safe, permanent home at the animal welfare center. Like our bears, for example, for whom there are hardly any other suitable accommodation options. Animals with permanent impairments or wild animals that are not native to this country and cannot be released into the wild - such as our raccoons - also stay at Weidefeld.

Support our Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center with a sponsorship.

Sonnenhof in Rottenbuch, Bavaria, offers old senior dogs, but also very young dogs, a special place of refuge.

"Seniors for seniors" concept

At Sonnenhof, the German Animal Welfare Association has the opportunity to take senior dogs whose adoption seems hopeless from affiliated animal shelters in order to find them a suitable "forever home".

The "Seniors for Seniors" concept offers older people in particular the opportunity to take in an animal. The needs of an old dog are often similar to those of an older person - both prefer to take it easy, for example.

Until they are successfully rehomed, animal carers take intensive care of the dogs and cater to the special needs of the four-legged seniors: with special food, for example due to a previous illness, regular vet checks and - if necessary - appropriate medication. According to their needs, the dogs live in groups in log cabins, each with its own spacious run. There is room for a total of 30-40 dogs at Sonnenhof.

Taking in dogs from the illegal puppy trade

Sonnenhof has had its own puppy sanctuary since 2021, which offers dogs from the illegal puppy trade a chance of a new life.

When puppies are confiscated from illegal transports, animal shelters are faced with a mammoth task. Sonnenhof can relieve animal shelters, which often reach the limits of their capacity when caring for many sick and weakened puppies, by taking in the animals and passing them on. With a quarantine station, an infirmary, a room for veterinary care and dog houses with spacious runs, Sonnenhof meets all the requirements for providing the young dogs with animal-friendly accommodation and medical care. Once the puppies have been fully socialized, which is often not the case due to the early separation of parents and siblings, they can be placed in loving homes.

Support the Sonnenhof with a sponsorship.