K9 Friends bursting at the seams

Dubai’s non-profit dog rescue organisation K9 Friends on Saturday appealed to residents to adopt more dogs after it was flooded with new entrants.

The shelter, which has a capacity to house 80 dogs and a dozen pets, said it currently has 134 dogs and an additional 34 are waiting to come in.

Sofi Longhurst, one of the volunteers at the charity organisation, told Emirates 24|7 that appeals have been sent out to all friends and supporters of K9 Friends to help ease the summer rush.

“This is not the first summer we are facing a situation like this. Owners prefer to abandon and leave dogs when they go on long holidays. Also the possibilities of new adoptions also dwindle as a result of vacations,” said Longhurst.

The result, according to her, is too many dogs at the shelter. “Right now we are desperate. Apart from the number of dogs here, we have many more on the waiting list. We are unable to take them in now. But if the situation continues some dogs will end up on the streets,” she added.

An appeal has been made through the Facebook page of K9 Friends and through internal emails. “We are getting some response. Dubai Municipality this morning came and took two dogs,” she said.

Also this year, the Ramadan timings have clashed with summer and resulted in the number of Muslims who would have otherwise adopted staying away.

According to her, the best way to prevent such a situation is to educate dog owners to neuter their pets. “There are too many new puppies being born. We would not have a problem if new puppies are being adopted. But when they are not, as is the situation today we end up in crisis,” said Longhurst.

“We have a dog that was brought in as a puppy for adoption almost four and a half years ago. Additionally, we have people importing dogs from outside which adds to the population here,” she said.

Those who are interested to adopt a dog can contact K9 Friends on 04 8858031.

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