Border collie Chester has stepped on broken glass, Chico the dwarf shepherd mongrel is too fat, and pinscher Chipsy has passed by to have his nails clipped. At the Neunerhaus in Vienna’s 5th district, not only do homeless people find a roof over their heads, but – sometimes even more important for many of them – their animals also receive free medical care. Three times a week, veterinarians, trainees, and volunteers are on duty for our beloved companions. A visit on site.
Text: Reportage: Lisa Peres, Photos: Vivienne Aubin for C/O Vienna Magazine
The bond between humans and animals is vital for the mental well-being of the homeless, that is particularly evident here. Today, veterinarian Silvia Zips is volunteering at the Neunerhaus. Actually, her specialty is horses, their teeth in particular – she is an equine dentist with her own practice in Vienna. She has been coming regularly to the Neunerhaus for seven years now, on a voluntary basis, “driven by a deep desire to give something back to society and provide help to the most vulnerable.” For her, it’s a “beautiful thing” to do in life.
At 10:30 am sharp on this given Monday, the Neunerhaus veterinary practice opens its doors. The first homeless start to arrive with their animals. One of them is Neziri.* He is worried about his border collie Chester. He stepped on broken glass a year ago, and although the wound on his foot has healed, it keeps opening up again and again. Since then, Chester has been limping and pus keeps forming on the wound. Two days ago, his paw was cut open with a blade in the practice, and today he’s back for a check-up. He’s also overweight and needs diet food, which he gets here too. Chester is very intelligent, says Neziri, shepherd dogs are known for being extremely social animals and guarding their environment. When Chester wants to go for a walk, he brings a shoe and puts his paw on Neziri’s hand. On the walk, he’s always ten meters ahead to protect Neziri. But Chester can’t stand people and pugs. Neziri has no real explanation for this. He would never put Chester on a lead outside if he wasn’t allowed in somewhere, he’s too afraid that he could be stolen.
The waiting room in the practice fills up, and the atmosphere is relaxed. The team radiates an air of calm, competence, and friendliness. “Some people come for the company and a chat. A doctor’s appointment is a welcome fixed point in their lives,” says Silvia Zips. “The pet owners often tell us about their private concerns. Then we have the problem of getting them out of the practice again. We can only take care of their animals.”
Today, there are only dogs in the practice for treatment. Chico is a dwarf shepherd mongrel and 13 years old. He has the weight that his owner Alex lacks. The pair makes a very touching picture. Chico suffers from Cushing’s syndrome and has a tumor in his pituitary gland. He is tormented by constant hunger and thirst and never feels full. So he has become too fat and should urgently be put on a diet. But the problem, says Alex, is that he is constantly given food by people and eats everything he finds on the street. When you put a muzzle on him, he just lies flat on the street in protest and won’t move an inch. Chico has to have a check-up every two weeks. He is an absolute loner, doesn’t like dogs or people, but he does have a soft spot for Alex.
A couple has taken a seat, Sabine and Dejan. Their ten-year-old pinscher Chipsy sits on Dejan’s lap like an emperor, with perfect posture and a deeply relaxed, contented look that shows just how much they love this dog. Does Chipsy lie between them in bed? Their smile from ear to ear confirms this. He is for sure their surrogate child, and they can’t imagine life without their dog under any circumstances.
Why are they here today? Chipsy had a hernia and therefore has some tissue fat in his buttocks, which needs to be operated on. The appointment is in two weeks, today he is there for a check-up and to have his nails trimmed. Chipsy is not in any pain. He is one of the cleverest dogs in the world, he helps straighten the comforter when making the bed: when you shake it, he pushes it into position with his paws. He’s a “jumper” – he loves all dogs, big and small, and loves children more than anything. When he has to pee, he stands on his front paws and does a handstand, and not once has he fallen head over heels. And when he drinks from the pond, he’s often so over-motivated that he tips over the edge! Everyone in the waiting room has to laugh heartily at the imagination.
Chipsy has only barked twice in his life, as if in solidarity with his master Dejan, who has suffered from cluster headaches for 22 years. In the end, the two mention that Chipsy eats everything: his favorite is a kebab with chili, sauerkraut, and cabbage.
Neziri just stepped out of the treatment room with his border collie Chester. He’s visibly reassured. The paw is no longer pus-laden, but Chester is still fat, and he was again strongly advised to put his dog on a diet.
Before Neziri and Chester leave the practice, he says in the corridor outside that he had a crow as a pet for three years. It fell out of a tree on Danube Island and had a broken talon. Neziri nursed her back to health and took her for a walk on a line. Tschakko was her name. He set her free in the end. She faithfully came to his window for the next three months and brought him glittering gifts as thanks. Then one day she disappeared. Neziri and Chester have to go. A very pleasant encounter.
It’s a good thing that border collie Chester, a notorious pug hater, is no longer here: Guiliano comes in the door with his young black pug Rocky. He’s here because Rocky needs deworming. Sometimes his eyelid pops out, his friends told him that it could be a sign of worms. Rocky has shiny fur and looks extremely well-groomed. “My best friend in the world. Since I’ve had him, I feel good. He understands me better than people and protects me.” Sometimes, he just lies down on the floor with his dog and falls asleep next to him when he gets too lonely in bed. One day, Rocky ran up to a Staffordshire that was tied to a tree. The dog bit into Rocky’s neck, says Guiliano. It took ten minutes to free him from its clutches, an eternity. Fortunately, it had only bitten into Rocky’s skin.
Later, when all the patients had left, Silvia Zips explains that Guiliano is a junkie. An ex-junkie, as he claims, which the team doubts, because when they advise him to neuter Rocky to prevent future accidents like the one with the Staffordshire, he forgets about it five minutes later. At the Neunerhaus, they try to motivate people to take precautions for their animals, but it is not possible to tackle the people’s problems as well. “It’s all about helping the animals,” says Zips. “Apart from treatment, the homeless can also take accessories such as cages, toys, leads, muzzles, or pet food with them.”
Time flies by, the practice will soon be closing. David and his eleven-year-old mongrel Pancake are one of the last to be seen today. He has to wait a short while until he is called. He sits down on the front doorstep, where he explains in English that he rescued his four-legged friend from the streets of Barcelona. Pancake’s condition at the time was deplorable. He had been beaten with sticks and stones, was severely emaciated, sick, and suffering from a bad fungal infection.
David is in the Neunerhaus today because Pancake’s eye needs to be surgically removed, and he also has a broken leg. His four kilos of excess weight, as he couldn’t move enough due to his ailments, is the least of his problems. He would do anything for Pancake, they are the best friends and spend all day together. David’s devotion to Pancake goes so far that he wants to stay in Austria for him – the climate here is more pleasant, in Spain it’s far too hot for Pancake.
When David and Pancake leave, the practice is quiet, all of the patients could be treated today. As Silvia Zips sums it up: an easy-going, ordinary day. A mentally challenged dog owner did not want to put an anti-scratch funnel around her dog’s neck, which was unfortunate. How long does Silvia Zips want to continue volunteering? “As long as I can still stand and work, until they say we can’t stand the horse lady anymore!”
This report was published in the 7/2024 print edition of “The Animal Issue”. You can order the magazine in our SHOP.
*At the request of the pet owners, some are not shown in the photos and are only referred to by their first names.
The NEUNERHAUS in Vienna is a non-profit organization that supports homeless people and people at risk of poverty. It offers not only housing, but also medical care and social support. This is not only for the people, but also for their pets, who are a great emotional support for many: They receive free medical care at the Neunerhaus.
SILVIA ZIPS is an Austrian vet who is intensively involved in providing free medical care for homeless people's animals as part of the Neunerhaus project. She actually specializes in horses, in particular their teeth, i.e. she is an equine dentist and has her own practice in Vienna.
