Homelessness threatens: Couple with 26 dogs is desperately looking for a new home

published8. June 2022, 15:17

A young couple is desperate for a home for themselves and their 26 greyhounds. The two have already viewed more than a hundred properties. Now they are on the verge of homelessness.

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Regine (left) and Aurelia Kindler have 26 greyhounds. They are all looking for a new home. “So far, however, we have only fallen on deaf ears,” says Aurelia Kindler. The two are at their wits’ end – they have already visited more than a hundred properties. Everywhere they received a refusal from the owners. They need a new home by Sunday. Otherwise they are homeless.

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The couple is looking for a house with at least 700 square meters for themselves and their greyhounds. The women are willing to invest up to half a million Swiss francs for this.

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Aurelia (left) and Regine Kindler currently live with their dogs in a garage in Rüschegg Heubach in the canton of Bern. The couple is looking for a house for themselves and their greyhounds within a hundred kilometers. It doesn’t matter whether the house is for sale or for rent.

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Aurelia and Regine Kindler have been deliberately looking for a house with a lot of change for months. Nothing else matters to them. Because: The couple lives together with 26 greyhounds.

“Nobody wants to give our dogs and us a home,” says Aurelia Kindler. The desperation of her partner and her is great. The couple admits that living with 26 dogs isn’t normal. Nevertheless: A life without the dogs is out of the question for them. «You are our family. Our life’s work and our purpose in life.»

Because of their love for animals, Regine and Aurelia Kindler have maneuvered themselves into a dead end. They have to move out of their current home on Sunday June 12th. And they are actually grateful for that. The two women are currently living with their greyhounds in a barn that was previously used as a garage. “No one in Switzerland would want to live in a garage,” says Aurelia Kindler.

With the nerves at the end

The couple found themselves in this oppressive situation because their dream of emigrating fell through. «We wanted to buy a house in France. Everything was settled. But then the seller withdrew the offer,” says Kindler. Then the odyssey began. Instead of staying in France, the two stayed with their dogs at a friend’s house. It was agreed that they would only stay there for a certain amount of time. At the time, the couple was still optimistic that they would find a home for themselves and the dogs during this time. Nothing came of it. After the girlfriend, the couple moved to the brother’s barn.

The optimism has now turned to despair. The two women are at their wits end. That’s why they are now launching a public appeal: “To all animal-loving people out there: Do you have a house with a fence where animals are allowed? Then get in touch with us immediately,” says Aurelia Kindler. The couple is willing to pay up to half a million francs for their new home.

“Everyone says that the many dogs are the problem”

They have checked out various real estate websites and have viewed over a hundred properties. “We just fall on deaf ears,” says Kindler. The two always get the same answer: the many dogs are a problem. The dog lovers cannot understand this. “We all have a right to a home. We dedicate our lives to dogs. We don’t judge others by their lifestyle either.”

The young women hope to be able to move into a house within a hundred kilometers of Ostermundigen, as both work in this region. They depend on the job because they don’t earn any money with the dogs. «I turned my job into a hobby 14 years ago. I bred greyhounds. But not today. So it is not a dog breed. It’s even less regarding animal hoarding,” says the qualified animal keeper. In order to do justice to the animals, both are deliberately working as shift workers. The dogs are never left unsupervised.

Animal protection organization is skeptical

The umbrella organization of animal welfare organizations in Bern has no knowledge of the current situation of Aurelia and Regine Kindler. When asked regarding this, the president of the association expressed his skepticism. “Keeping 26 dogs is difficult. Especially when only two people have to pay for it,” says Rolf Frischknecht. The animals need at least one hour of exercise per day. He cannot judge whether the keepers meet the requirements. “It is good, however, that one of the women has the relevant specialist knowledge due to her training. We would appreciate it if an animal welfare-compliant solution were found,” says Frischknecht.

Do you know of an animal in distress?

Fire brigade, Tel. 118 (animal rescue)

Police, Tel. 117 (for wild animals)

GTRDlarge animal rescue service, Tel. [phone] (emergency call)