Of course, Reina was joking. In fact, Germany was very strict with the management of dogs. Dog owners had to walk their dogs three times a day for at least an hour each time. If they didn't meet the standards, the government would send professionals to walk their dogs for 10 euros each time. If the dog's poop wasn't disposed of, the owner would be fined a lot.
However, there was really no good way to prevent dogs from eating poop, unless they were given strict anti-food training like police dogs, or they could make dogs that showed signs of eating poop have the habit of defecating outdoors, and they had to wear a muzzle every time they went out for a walk. Although this would be unfair to dogs that loved freedom, it was still better than licking their owner's face after eating poop. That would be too hurtful …
Reina showed Zhang Zian around the shop and answered his questions from time to time.
Zhang Zian's biggest impression was that the pet supplies in the shop were too complete. For every purpose, such as kennels, there were at least a dozen or even dozens of options, covering almost any customer's needs.
The rows of shelves gradually came to an end, and in front of them was the pet display and sale area.
The first thing that came into view were the rabbits. There was a row of custom-made rabbit cages made of wood and embedded with glass. There were several kinds of rabbits, such as lop-eared rabbits, Angora rabbits, white rabbits, spotted rabbits, Dutch pygmy rabbits, and so on. Each rabbit had its own cage. The bottom of the rabbit cage was covered with a thick layer of hay, and a ball of grass for the rabbits to eat was placed in a round food bowl. Next to it was a delicate wooden rabbit house.
The front of each rabbit cage was pasted with pictures and descriptions, introducing the species, habits, and feeding methods of the rabbits in the cage. Although Zhang Zian didn't understand the German, he could guess the general meaning from the pictures.
He walked to the nearest rabbit cage and took a closer look. There was a light purple Dutch pygmy rabbit in this cage. It was small, round, and cute. It was eating the grass. Its eyes turned to Zhang Zian for a moment, then it jumped into the rabbit house.
When he got closer, he found that the cage was not covered with ordinary hay, but with scattered golden oat grass. The ball of grass in the food bowl was also oat grass, and it had a rich milky smell.
Seeing these rabbits, he thought of Little Celery. He glanced around the shop and found that there were very few children and teenagers. Even if there were, they were accompanied by adults.
It was fine if it was children, but shouldn't teenagers who were in their rebellious phase hate shopping with their parents?
He threw the question at Rena.
Reina pointed at a few lines of German text near the price list on the rabbit cage and explained. Due to the regulations of the Animal Protection Act, in Germany, teenagers under the age of 16 were not allowed to buy pets. Teenagers over the age of 16 had to be accompanied by their guardians to buy pets, and they had to understand how to raise pets. Even adults had to understand how to raise pets before buying them.
In particular, she pointed out that in Germany, pets were not suitable to be given as surprises to others. The other party must be informed before the purchase or gift, and the pet could not be returned or exchanged after it was sold.
Zhang Zian had encountered similar situations in his daily business. For example, Liu Sanlang wanted to buy a puppy to surprise Shi Shi, but he wasn't sure if Shi Shi would keep the puppy, so he shamelessly negotiated with Zhang Zian. If Shi Shi didn't accept the puppy, he hoped that he could return the puppy. This kind of situation happened from time to time, and it was not a rare isolated incident.
If they were in Germany, Liu Sanlang would have to inform Shi Shi before he bought a puppy. He could only buy it with Shi Shi's consent. How could he return the puppy after buying it? No way!
Zhang Zian asked doubtfully, "If you don't like it after buying it, and it can't be returned, wouldn't it increase the phenomenon of people abandoning their pets?"
In Germany, abandoning pets or not providing a suitable living space for pets was heavily punished. This was also the reason why stray animals were rarely seen on the streets of Germany.
She smiled and said, "I was surprised when I saw you walk in with Famous, because such a great German Shepherd is rare even in Germany. I guessed that it couldn't have been adopted. No owner would abandon such a great dog, so I asked you where you bought it."
Speaking of this, Zhang Zian suddenly noticed that there were no cats or dogs in the display and sale area of small mammals. He asked, "I don't see you selling cats and dogs here. Is it on the second floor?"
"Unfortunately." Reina shrugged. "We don't sell cats and dogs here."
"Why?" Zhang Zian asked in surprise. A pet shop didn't sell cats and dogs? What kind of pet shop was this?
In China, some pet shops that didn't sell pets mainly provided pet grooming and other services, but as long as they sold pets, they would at least have one section for cats and dogs …
"Because the law doesn't allow it." Reina shook her head helplessly. "Germans believe that animals with feelings like cats and dogs shouldn't be sold, so 90% of the cats and dogs in Germany are adopted."
"But you're still selling monkeys …" Zhang Zian raised his hand and pointed at the monkey cage not far away, showing that he didn't understand the Germans' way of thinking. "You sell monkeys but not cats and dogs? Do monkeys, which are close relatives of humans, have no feelings?"
"You can only talk to the people who made the law." Reina smiled bitterly. "Of course, there are places in Germany that sell cats and dogs, but they are farms approved by the government. The dog breeding law has strict standards for the construction of the farm, as well as the time for each dog to rest and exercise. As a pet shop, it would cost too much money to meet those standards, so we simply don't breed or sell cats and dogs. Anyway, there are other pets that we can sell. "
Reina briefly introduced the current situation of cat and dog adoptions and sales in Germany. The price of buying a dog would not be less than 1,500 euros, and even adoption would cost two to three hundred euros. Then, there would be an additional four to five hundred euros in tax and insurance every year. The monthly cost of raising a cat or dog was about 100 euros … Pet owners had to bear a lot of expenses. If they could no longer raise the pet due to illness or bankruptcy, they would have to pay a sum of money to send the pet to the shelter.
As for abandoning the pet because they couldn't afford it, it was a big risk. The police would find the abandoner through the chip implanted in the pet, and what awaited them would be a fine of tens of thousands of euros and detention …
The high price ensured that people would think twice before raising a pet, so as not to suffer a double loss.
Zhang Zian sighed. No wonder there weren't many purebred dogs on the streets. It turned out that Germany had basically replaced buying with adoption. However, this wasn't entirely based on people's awareness, but rather on the restrictions of the law.
Even in Germany, a country that was at the forefront of pet protection in the world, there was no such thing as "free" adoption. People wouldn't cherish free stuff.
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