KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — In a few weeks, if you want to adopt a dog or cat in the Kaiserslautern military community, you’ll have to take your chances at an off-base shelter.
The same applies if you want to put up your dog or cat for adoption.
The Kaiserslautern stray animal/adoption facility on Pulaski Barracks is closing its doors in November to make room for expanded operations at Dog Center Europe.
The stray/adoption facility has stopped accepting owner turn-ins and will take strays for a limited time. Initially, strays were not going to be accepted after Nov. 1, but that has been extended until an agreement can be worked out with the German animal shelters, said Army Maj. James Giles, commander of Dog Center Europe.
In December, work will begin on renovations to Dog Center Europe, which also provides veterinarian care for privately owned animals. First and foremost, the center’s mission is to care for military working dogs, Giles said.
Dog Center Europe is the primary care provider for military working dogs in the Kaiserslautern area and the referral center for military working dogs in the European, Central and Africa commands. It will increase its capabilities by becoming a Level IV treatment facility.
At that level, the unit needs to be able to house injured animals longer and increase the level of care it can provide. A new operating room will be built, and the unit is getting more equipment. Dog Center Europe needs room to house the military dogs recovering after surgery, Giles said.
"Right now, we don’t have that housing capability for the working dogs because that area is occupied by stray animals," Giles said. "As part of Department of Defense regulation, military working dogs cannot be housed with pets, strays or anything other than military working dogs."
Disease control and the military dogs’ aggressive nature are reasons for keeping the animals separated.
With Germans often unwilling to allow Americans to adopt animals because of perceptions that Americans are irresponsible pet owners, adopting a "Fluffy" or "Fido" in the Kaiserslautern area won’t be as easy as it once was. Once the on-post stray/adoption facility closes, the Army veterinarian clinic will refer people to the German animal shelters known as tierheims.
Currently, the Kaiserslautern tierheim in Einsiedlerhof does not allow American military members to adopt its pets, but it will accept animals from Americans, said Karla Haehnel, office manager at the Kaiserslautern tierheim. But the tierheim will meet with U.S. military officials Oct. 20 and might change its stance. They will also discuss details about how military police will be able to drop off strays at the facility after hours, Haehnel said.
Haehnel also had concerns about how her facility would handle an influx of American animals.
"I don’t know what we’re going to do if we’re completely full," she said.
Discussions are under way about the possibility of a separate on-base stray/adoption facility in the Kaiserslautern area along the lines of "Karing Kennels" at Kadena Air Base, Japan, but no decision has been made.
