Abandoned pets in UAE: Worst summer ever

With more than 130 dogs and cats waiting to find a permanent home, an Abu Dhabi-based volunteer group dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals in the UAE has launched its first ever crisis appeal.

“This was the worst summer I have known since we started Animal Action – Abu Dhabi,” says Mel Stones, founder of the organisation.

Animal Action is being hit by a double combination of an increased number of animals being abandoned or surrendered, and a reduction in the number of available volunteer foster homes as many of its current volunteers have been away over the summer or have recently left the UAE.

The high number of abandoned pets represents an all-time high since the organisation was founded in 2010, it said in a media statement today.

With no animal shelter of its own, the organisation is appealing for new foster homes to help support the current influx of animals, as well as ‘forever’ homes, for its homeless dogs and cats.

“Every day we have received calls from owners who want to surrender their pets, usually because they are going away and haven’t made arrangements for their pet to be cared for, or aren’t prepared to accept the associated expense.

"When we tell them that we already have a record number of animals and can’t take on any more, often they threaten to put the animal on the streets. Saying no is a death sentence to many of these poor creatures,” she adds.

In addition, there have been numerous reports of animal abuse, with some really cruel tales. Stones narrates one such horror story.

“Some [pets] are abused by people too, such as a heavily pregnant dog we recently rescued in Al Ain which had had acid deliberately thrown on her and is now scarred for life,” she says.

“A high number of dogs in the UAE live on the streets and out in the desert, many of which are giving birth to litters of puppies. Some of these dogs may have grown up in the wild, while many are clearly abandoned pets left to fend for themselves,” she adds.

“The puppies are being born into an environment of extreme heat, little food and scarce fresh water, and many don’t survive.”

Around 700 animals have been rehomed by the volunteer group in the last four years since it was established, the group said. Animal Action, which operates primarily via a Facebook page, has supporters from across the UAE national and expatriate community but is struggling to cope under the weight of requests from people wanting to surrender their animals, it says.

“We don’t have a shelter and we rely on volunteers to provide foster homes while we look for permanent homes for all our animals.

"However, we’re desperately short of foster homes at this time. We’re urgently seeking new foster homes to come forward to help us cope with this record number of animals currently in our care,” urges Stones.

“Saying no is a very hard thing to do, because we know it can make the difference between life and death for that animal.

"However we have finite resources and we have already exceeded those. We work closely with other animal welfare groups in the UAE and everyone is saying the same thing: that this year is the worst they have ever known.

"We need to find more homes willing to take on these poor animals, whether temporarily or permanently.

"We also need to raise more money to cover the cost of our medical bills, as frequently the animals surrendered to us need immediate veterinary attention due to a lack of owner care. Any support is welcomed, no matter how small,” she urges.

Those interested adopting a homeless animal may visit Animal Action – Abu Dhabi’s Facebook page or email animal.action@hotmail.com.

(Image courtesy Shutterstock)

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