Who are "Markus, Kathi und das RUDEL" and what exactly do they have to do with animal welfare?
I'm answering that question today and presenting something very special of my own.
The Birth of "Markus, Kathi und das RUDEL"
I got to know Markus more than 2 years ago at our then workplace, which makes me something of a witness to the whole story from the very beginning. Since this slightly chaotic but thoroughly likeable young man from Germany is at least as dog-crazy as I am, we'd have lively chats during coffee breaks.
He'd regularly tell me about Lucky, his shepherd mix from an animal shelter, and his desire to help other dogs in need. At the time, Markus was still single and living in a flat in the south of Vienna. I can still remember him telling me that he'd rather stay single for the time being.
But life has a way of surprising you… It never turns out quite the way you'd expect ;)
Kathi soon steps into his life. They keep running into each other at the dog park and quickly realise they share the same interests and have very similar ideas about life.
Kathi brings her son Leon and her two furry friends Rocksy & Charly into the relationship — and so begins the story of the patchwork family and the RUDEL.
What Happens Next?
It soon becomes clear that the little flat is getting too cramped, and the search for a suitable house begins. Their foster dog Cookie at the time (now a permanent member of the pack) adds to the mix, so 2 adults, 1 child, and 4 four-legged companions in roughly 40 square metres is quite obviously too much.
After a few more coffee breaks and countless phone calls with estate agents, the bank, and the like, the young couple found what they were looking for in Berndorf an der Triesting. The motto of these two animal welfare advocates
Until the last cage is empty!
Markus Schenkel
is now pursued with even greater vigour. They take in foster dogs and try to find them new families — for as long as Austrian law allows this kind of rehoming.
Markus and Kathi are people of action. So a solution has to be found!
The Association "Markus Kathi und das RUDEL e.V." Is Founded
The next plan — converting the house in Berndorf into registered premises with a quarantine room — is unfortunately dragging on, mainly due to formalities. But the two of them have managed to make it happen. And "on the side" they've also brought a new little person into the world: Julian Noah!
By now the core pack consists of 5 dogs:
- Rocksy, the pack leader
- Charly, the rascal
- Cookie, the dream dog
- Gracey, the anxious girl
- Teddy, the giant baby
Senior Lucky sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past summer and looks down on his owner's and his owner's partner's initiative with benevolence from the eternally green meadows.
The Foster Dogs
With the premises now officially approved, there is room for 6 more furry companions. At the moment these are:
- Odin, the blind old fellow
- Balu, the gentle giant
- Lilu, the Pippi Longstocking
- Bella, the beautiful princess
- Darik, the wheelchair user
- Laris, the livestock guardian mix
So the pack consists of 11–12 dogs — quite a lot of work, you'd think. But even that isn't enough for Markus and Kathi. They step up again and again for other animals in need and make regular trips to animal shelters in Hungary. They launch fundraising campaigns to help these animals in distress and deliver food, blankets, and more directly to where it's needed.
"On the side", the two of them are also completing a two-year training course to become holistic dog behaviour trainers. Now that's what I call: animal welfare with heart and soul!
Drumroll: the RUDEL Website and What's Behind "webjuwel"?
So much motivation clearly deserves support, and since I'm on my way to becoming a self-employed web developer, one thing leads to another. The wish for a website keeps coming up in conversations between Markus and me.
Nina (you know her from the Wachau weekend, the Croatia holiday and from this hike) and I have joined forces and will be working under the name webjuwel. Since we needed a practice project, we offered to build a website for the RUDEL — and now it's finally here! Here's the result:
Click through and if you'd like to help or want to find out more, just get in touch with the two of them.
The RUDEL is absolutely lovely and always happy to have visitors.
Even better, of course, would be if you knew someone who knew someone who could give one of the foster dogs a loving forever home!
We hope you (Markus and Kathi) are happy with the website
and that it helps you pursue your goals with the RUDEL even more effectively!
