In Luxembourg: Animals are “not Christmas gifts”
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In LuxembourgAnimals are “not Christmas gifts”
LUXEMBOURG – Give a pet to your nephews for the holidays? Some think about it. This is a big no for associations and pet stores, which are trying to empower potential buyers.
“Potential customers often come with the idea of offering a rabbit to a girl or other, we try to discuss with them, to see if the person is really aware and if she instead, explains an employee of the Josy Welter pet shop, at La Belle Étoile. Sometimes it makes them think. We have already refused sales when it is an impulse purchase.
Many have this idea of wanting to please an animal as a surprise. This is out of the question for Liliane Sernon, vice-president of the Gasperich asylum. This one received several phone calls before Christmas for cats. “We totally exclude this kind of adoption, animals are not gifts,” she insists. “We absolutely must see the future owner again and he must sign a contract with us”.
To avoid abandonment as much as possible, the Fressnapf stores go further by totally refusing sales between December 19 and January 3. The employees posted a rather clear message on the rodent cages: “An animal is a friend, friends are not offered, they are chosen”. A decision that does not please all their customers. “Many still try to buy it. They get angry when we tell them that we don’t sell any,” admits Samira. Unfortunately, some still manage to slip through the cracks by buying the animal first. “It’s rare that they say it’s for Christmas,” adds the employee.
Associations and pet stores try above all to empower people. “We make sure that people have someone to look after the animal when they are on vacation, for example, we want them to think about it before any adoption. When you adopt a dog, you have your responsibility for 10-15 years”, confirms Sarah El Khal, assistant dog manager. “The animal is a living being, we do not put it under the tree”, reiterates Liliane Sernon.