I will be honest, my first month in Heidelberg was absolutely horrid. On September 23, I woke up for class and checked facebook, like any other self-respecting computer-absorbed fresh-out-college person would do (Yeah yeah, I know how lame I can be). There, I learned that the person I thought I was dating was now single. Ouch. Exactly one week later I had to leave behind my host family and friends for a new city. I was absolutely miserable, and in my experiences here, misery brings homesickness.
As part of my program, I am required to do 40 hours of community service. A lot of people recommended that I work in senior center or a hospital, which seems logical for a premed. However, remember at this point that I am homesick. Back home, my parents have allowed us to keep the house pets we find. Since 2009, we have acquired two kittens and one dog, in addition to the 2 cats we already owned at that time (the dog, unfortunately, had an owner and could only stay with us about 2 weeks). Basically, what I am saying is that I live in a miniature animal shelter. Naturally, I felt that to get myself out of my misery, I needed to go work in an animal shelter.
In mid-October, I dropped by their open hours to ask about volunteer work. They invited me to have a look around while I was there. I was completely taken aback by the size of the shelter. They have a main building, and then a huge yard behind it. Dogs live in cages that let them move freely between a room inside and a cage outside. Cats live in the Katzenhaus and live in groups of 3-5 inside rooms about the size of my bedroom. They too have kitty doors that allow them free access to a cage outside. The only animals living in tiny cages like the ones I have normally seen in the US are the animals in quarantine. The workers there would later tell me that not all shelters in Germany are this nice; however, that doesn't take away from how great the grounds really look. The shelter also has sheep, ponies, and donkeys which are allowed to roam the yard during opening hours. I am particularly fond of Yoshi the donkey, but if I chose to blog about every animal I liked at the Tierheim, I would be up all night.
All the workers at the Tierheim have been incredibly nice to me, despite my lacking German. It's shocking to me how I can read and discuss Emilia Galotti, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, or works by Kant, but I am completely incapable of articulating what cleaning supplies I need to mop a floor. The Tierheim can be a stinky job, but if Germany is going to pay my rent and give me a food stipend, the very least I can do is scoop their poop.
The animals at the Tierheim are all really well-cared for, but they are understandably attention-starved. Here in Germany, it is illegal to euthanize an animal because of shelter overcrowding, so the animals are able to live here as long as they need to. However, no matter how nice the facility and how amazing the workers, house pets who have been socialized to desire human companionship really need a good home. One time, as I was squatting to scoop the litter, a cat jumped into my lap and insisted on remaining there until I was finished. Later, as I was mopping, that same cat saw that as an opportunity to jump onto my shoulders. "One must always be flexible in the animal shelter, you never know what will come next." said the worker when she saw me trying to clean with the cat climbing on top of me. She informed me that this particular cat was reserved and her new owners were coming the next day to get her.
But of course, there are many more animals that need homes.
So did volunteering at the Tierheim work? Maybe. SOMETHING did, and I'm sure getting to hang out with animals didn't hurt. I also have made some German friends, became more busy with class, and have been in contact with my PPPler friends from Köln.
Will I go back even though my 40 hours are complete? It really is rough going to the Tierheim, because I have to get up at 6:20am to get there on time to volunteer. However, I will probably get homesick some point soon and want to go back.
I will end this post with a note to every one reading this who may want a new animal. Please go to your local shelter(s) and/or rescue groups and get your animal there. I especially say that to those of you in the US, where animals can legally be euthanized due to the lack of resources to care for them at the shelter. As the owner of 3 rescues, I can say with confidence that there's nothing wrong with shelter pets.
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