It is a part of responsible pet ownership to only purchase a dog suited to the lifestyle you lead.

There is a soup kitchen in Berlin that provides pets of the homeless and unemployed with a free meal.

The soup kitchen also caters to other pets including cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and budgerigars. Twelve volunteers hand out food and advice, while keeping an eye on the health of the animals.

I wonder if this is done anywhere else.


In Europe's biggest economy, poodles, terriers and sheep dogs are queuing up for rations at Berlin's soup kitchen for pets.

Pensioners and those on the dole qualify for the free pet food buffet, allowing those with no disposable income the chance to hold on to their beloved dogs and cats.

Berlin, has some 100,000 registered dogs, many of them owned by pensioners.

Pet proof At the Treptow soup kitchen, animal owners must initially turn up with their pet in order to register. And they must show proof the pet has been vaccinated.

They must also prove financial need by showing their welfare papers, unemployment registration or pension card.

Poverty isolates people who sometimes must rely on their pet for their sole company, Ms Holm said.

"Half our customers are old people for whom a cat or dog is their last social link," she said.

It also quickly became obvious that people needed more than just a tin of animal food, Ms Hollm added, pointing to the need to make sure pets stay healthy.

During the holiday season, the association called for extra donations so that volunteers could lay out bones, pigs' ears, toy mice and scratching posts under the Christmas trees set up in each of its soup kitchens.