Rala, a 10-week-old mutt, is being walked on Berlin's Helmholtzplatz.
© dpa
During the Coronavirus pandemic, many people have gotten pets - including many Berliners. Here, the number of registered dogs has increased significantly.
About 126,300 dogs and about 118,000 dog owners are currently registered, more than in previous years, the Berlin tax authorities told the German Press Agency (dpa). Before the pandemic - at the end of 2019 - the number of dogs in Berlin was still around 111,000 and the number of owners around 105,000.
Tax revenues also increased. In 2021, around 13.6 million euros were collected for almost 124,000 dogs. In 2019, it was still around twelve million euros. For the first dog, owners must pay 120 euros per year - regardless of breed. For each additional dog, 180 euros per year must be paid in taxes. Some dogs are exempt from the tax, such as service dogs.
However, the popularity of dogs as pets also has downsides: "More than twice as many puppies were handed over to the Berlin Animal Shelter during the pandemic than usual," said spokeswoman Annette Rost. Often, the animals came from illegal breeders and were seriously ill. "The demand for dogs increased so much during the pandemic that it could not be met by reputable breeders," Rost said. In the summer of 2022, the Berlin Animal Welfare Association had participated in a nationwide poster campaign against illegal puppy trade.