Even though the greatest wish is of course to find a nice home for every four-legged friend, the animal shelter staff were delighted with our lovingly wrapped presents.

A new scratching board for the kitty, a new toy or special food for the dog. There was something for everyone.

It was really wonderful and touching to see how much effort my dear colleagues put into choosing and wrapping the gifts.

Because what we take for granted - spending Christmas with our dear family and our beloved pets - is unfortunately not possible for the residents of the Düsseldorf animal shelter. For whatever reason, most of them have ended up there through no fault of their own. Often snatched from a loving home.

For example, my dog Tora (see photo). Her owner has fallen seriously ill and is no longer able to look after her. Tora was therefore brought to the animal shelter with a heavy heart and is eagerly waiting for a new loving home.

That's why we at least wanted to show with this gesture that we are thinking of the fur noses.

So my heartfelt thanks go to all my dear colleagues for taking part in this campaign!

Text by Cornelia Loris