Sonnenhof

Sonnenhof in Rottenbuch, Bavaria, offers old senior dogs as well as very young dogs a special place of refuge. With its "Seniors for Seniors" concept and a puppy sanctuary, the German Animal Welfare Federation facility combines two important projects under one roof.

At Sonnenhof, the German Animal Welfare Federation has the opportunity to take senior dogs from affiliated animal shelters, whose adoption seems hopeless, in order to find them a suitable "home forever".

The "Seniors for Seniors" concept offers older people in particular the opportunity to take in an animal. The needs of an elderly dog are often similar to those of an elderly person - both prefer to take it a little easier, go for short walks but more often and don't want to miss the closeness of an animal/human partner.

Sonnenhof helps beyond its role as a placement partner: it also supports the new owners after the adoption if challenges arise in keeping and caring for the senior animal.

Until the dogs are successfully placed, animal keepers look after them intensively and cater to the special needs of the four-legged seniors: with special food, for example due to a previous illness or to prevent obesity, regular vet checks and - if necessary - appropriate medication. According to their needs, the dogs live in groups in log cabins, each with its own spacious run. There is room for a total of 30-40 dogs at Sonnenhof.

Sonnenhof has thus developed a practical solution concept. The knowledge gained from this also benefits the animal welfare associations in the German Animal Welfare Federation and thus also makes a direct contribution to animal welfare in the long term.

Sonnenhof has had its own puppy sanctuary since 2021, which offers dogs from the illegal puppy trade a chance at a new life.

When puppies are confiscated from illegal transports, animal shelters are faced with a mammoth task. Sonnenhof can relieve animal shelters , which often reach the limits of their capacity when caring for many sick and weakened puppies, by taking in the animals and passing them on. With a quarantine station, an infirmary, a room for veterinary care and dog houses with spacious runs, Sonnenhof meets all the requirements for providing the young dogs with animal-friendly accommodation and medical care. Once the puppies have been fully socialized, which is often not the case due to early separation from their parents and siblings, they can be placed in loving homes. Through practical work on site, the German Animal Welfare Federation aims to gain fundamental insights into how the future prospects of the puppies can be improved despite their poor start in life.

Before Sonnenhof became an institution of the German Animal Welfare Federation in 2022, we supported it as a partner project for a long time. SOS Projects für Mensch und Tier e.V. was founded in 2002 by the entrepreneur and animal lover Renate Thyssen Henne together with her husband Ernst Theodor Henne and her daughter Dr. Gabriele Prinzessin zu Leiningen. The Sonnenhof property, which was purchased by Princess zu Leiningen and donated to the aid organization, initially offered a refuge primarily to seriously injured dogs from abroad.

With the handover in 2014 to the new president, Nicole Brühl, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation - Regional Federation of Bavaria e.V., urgent emergencies continued to be taken in, but the focus was now on the placement of senior dogs.

On February 1, 2020, the association became "Sonnenhof für Mensch und Tier e.V.", and since September 2022, the German Animal Welfare Federation has been running Sonnenhof as its own animal welfare facility.