Nikita
Gut Aiderbichl's oldest bitch
When Gut Aiderbichl rescues animals, it is not about the institution, but about the animals to be rescued. In Lower Austria, a man kept 50 Samoyeds like wolves. When we were asked for help by the veterinary office in 2012, there were 17 dogs left, the others had already been rehomed.
Michael Aufhauser and Dieter Ehrengruber had exactly one hour to decide whether we could take in the dogs or not. We were able to…
An experiment failed because of fear
The breeder had once heard wolves howling in Canada and wanted to have the same howling in his home country. So he began crossing huskies and shepherds. He wanted the offspring to resemble wolves. As the fear of the animals grew, they had to die.
The man threw their food over the fence. There was no more care, no more love, just more fear of the result of the breeding.
The dogs came to the former lion enclosure in Gänserndorf
Gaining the dogs’ trust was a no-win situation. There was a carer at Gut Aiderbichl Gänserndorf who took care of the dogs. It was dangerous work, but slowly the animals came to trust their carer. The dogs became calmer. They loved to play, lay in the sun and lick each other. Could their deaths have been justified back then…?
Today, one dog from that pack is still alive. Our Nikita. She is 18 years old, an incredible age for a German shepherd-husky mix. She has become calm, Nikita’s eyes tell a long story, but she has also learnt one thing again: to smile.
The dogs came to the former lion enclosure in Gänserndorf
Gaining the dogs’ trust was a no-win situation. There was a carer at Gut Aiderbichl Gänserndorf who took care of the dogs. It was dangerous work, but slowly the animals came to trust their carer. The dogs became calmer. They loved to play, lay in the sun and lick each other. Could their deaths have been justified back then…?
Today, one dog from that pack is still alive. Our Nikita. She is 18 years old, an incredible age for a German shepherd-husky mix. She has become calm, Nikita’s eyes tell a long story, but she has also learnt one thing again: to smile.
Dieter Ehrengruber said in an interview at the time:
… “Gut Aiderbichl is not a place of anger. When we rescue animals, we take full responsibility … These helpless victims say: What have I done to you humans? …”
Nikita seems to be saying: Thank you for letting me live. Thank you to all the Aiderbich people for their help and support.
