About Ein Herz für Tiere

Ein Herz für Tiere

Ein Herz für Tiere (A Heart for Animals) is a monthly German pet magazine published in Munich by the Ein Herz für Tiere Media GmbH, a subsidiary of the GeraNova Bruckmann publishing group. Developed by the journalist Helmut Markwort together with the art director Jochen Birr and first issued on 24 September 1982, it is one of the longest-running and most widely read pet magazines in the entire German-speaking world. The magazine carries the ISSN 0935-0217, and its official website is herz-fuer-tiere.de. Its distributed circulation stood at 14,132 copies in the second quarter of 2026 (IVW).

Overview

Ein Herz für Tiere appears twelve times a year and is sold at newsstands and by subscription throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It addresses pet owners of all kinds — dog and cat keepers above all, but also owners of small animals, birds, fish and terrarium animals — with a mix of service journalism, emotional animal stories and practical advice. The magazine's concept, developed in the early 1980s, combined the service approach of a consumer magazine with the emotional appeal of animal photography, a formula that has sustained it for more than four decades and through multiple changes of ownership.

The title is the flagship of the Ein Herz für Tiere Media portfolio, which also includes the bimonthly premium dog magazine Dogs, the line extensions Partner Hund and Geliebte Katze (launched in 1993), and the digital brands DOGStoday and CATStoday (launched 13 July 2013). Dutch and Belgian editions have appeared since 1987 under the title Hart voor Dieren. The brand family's breadth — spanning print monthlies, specialist line extensions and digital-first brands — makes it one of the most comprehensive pet-media offerings in the German-speaking world.

History

The magazine was developed by Helmut Markwort — later the long-serving editor-in-chief of Focus — together with the art director Jochen Birr, and first issued on 24 September 1982. The launch came at a time when pet ownership in West Germany was growing rapidly and the pet industry was professionalising, creating a market for a modern, service-oriented pet magazine.

The title grew steadily through the 1980s and 1990s. Dutch and Belgian editions were introduced in 1987 as Hart voor Dieren, extending the brand to the Benelux countries — a rare example of a German pet magazine building a cross-border presence. In 1993, the publisher launched the line extensions Partner Hund and Geliebte Katze, specialist titles for dog and cat owners respectively, segmenting the pet audience by species. In August 2016, the magazine took over Mein Hund und ich from the Pabel-Moewig publishing house, absorbing a competing dog title and consolidating its position in the dog segment.

Digital line extensions followed: on 13 July 2013, the publisher launched DOGStoday and CATStoday, digital brands serving dog and cat owners online — an early move into digital-first pet media, recognising that pet owners were among the most active online communities. At the start of 2021, the entire Ein Herz für Tiere Media portfolio was transferred from Gruner + Jahr to the GeraNova Bruckmann publishing group, giving the pet titles a new corporate home within one of Germany's leading special-interest publishers. The move ended nearly four decades of G+J ownership and placed the brand within a publisher whose Munich base and special-interest expertise offered a natural fit.

Content and Programming

Ein Herz für Tiere's content covers the full spectrum of pet ownership. Breed portraits introduce dog and cat breeds with their characteristics and needs. Veterinary topics are explained for lay readers, covering common illnesses, preventive care and first aid. Nutrition features guide owners through feeding choices, while behaviour and training articles address the everyday challenges of living with animals.

The magazine is known for its emotional animal stories — rescue tales, remarkable human-animal partnerships and reports from animal welfare work — which give it a warmth that distinguishes it from purely utilitarian service titles. Product tests, travel features for pet owners, legal advice and seasonal topics round out the offering. The magazine's photography — animals captured with affection and technical skill — is central to its appeal, and its covers have made it instantly recognisable at the newsstand for more than forty years.

The line extensions serve specialist audiences: Partner Hund for dog owners, Geliebte Katze for cat owners, while the main title addresses the general pet-owning public. The digital brands DOGStoday and CATStoday extend this segmentation online, giving dog and cat owners dedicated digital homes within the brand family.

Coverage and Audience

Ein Herz für Tiere is distributed throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional editions in the Netherlands and Belgium as Hart voor Dieren. Its distributed circulation of 14,132 copies (IVW Q2/2026) reflects the long-term decline of print circulations across the German magazine market, but the brand's total reach — including its line extensions and digital platforms — extends far beyond the print figure.

The audience is the broad pet-owning public, predominantly female, spanning all age groups. For advertisers in the pet food, pet care, veterinary, insurance and retail sectors, the Ein Herz für Tiere brand family offers access to the core of the German-speaking pet market — a large, emotionally engaged and spending-intensive audience. Germany's pet population runs into the tens of millions of animals, and the spending of their owners on food, care, equipment and veterinary services makes the pet market one of the most resilient consumer segments in the country.

Ownership

Ein Herz für Tiere is published by the Ein Herz für Tiere Media GmbH in Munich, a subsidiary of the GeraNova Bruckmann Verlagshaus. The GeraNova Bruckmann group, based in Munich, is one of Germany's leading special-interest publishers, with a portfolio spanning travel, history, railway, model-making, outdoor and pet titles — a breadth of passionate specialist audiences that gives the pet titles a corporate home built around enthusiast media.

The transfer from Gruner + Jahr to GeraNova Bruckmann at the start of 2021 placed the pet titles within a publisher whose special-interest expertise aligns with the brand's positioning. The Ein Herz für Tiere Media unit manages the group's pet portfolio from Munich.

Digital Presence

The magazine's official website at herz-fuer-tiere.de serves as the digital home of the brand family, presenting pet news, service content and features alongside the print titles. The portal carries the content of Ein Herz für Tiere, Dogs and the group's other pet brands, with dedicated sections for dog and cat owners.

The digital brands DOGStoday and CATStoday, launched in 2013, serve the online dog and cat communities with news and service content. The magazine is present on social media, where animal photography and heartwarming stories find a large audience. Digital editions of the print magazine are available for screen reading, and the publisher's online shop offers subscriptions across the brand family. The brand's Facebook and Instagram presences carry the magazine's emotional storytelling to audiences who may never pick up the print issue, while the portal's service content answers the everyday questions of pet owners.

The website field in this profile reflects the title's official online home. Developed in 1982 by Helmut Markwort and Jochen Birr and still published monthly from Munich, Ein Herz für Tiere has accompanied German pet ownership through more than four decades — from the print era through the digital transformation of pet media, always with the same heart for animals.