When boredom hits, it’s pets that get boot
The saying goes: ‘The bigger the better’, but that’s not the case when it comes to dog sales in Dubai.
During Khaleej Times’ trip to both the Birds and Pets Market in Dubai and the Sharjah Animal Market, there was one trend that stood out.
Teacup, pure-bred puppies took precedence at the front of the shop, with the older, bigger dogs shunned to the back. With price tags from between Dh3,000 to Dh9,000 each, the puppies were noted as the “best sellers” by one shopkeeper.
“People like the small, good looking dogs,” he said.
And when asked how much the older dogs were, we were quickly informed they were not for sale, but up for “adoption”. “Bigger dogs are harder to shift so we don’t sell them. They are often put up for adoption after being left in kennels by owners.” Another shopkeeper told Khaleej Times the big dogs usually take “one month to shift”, but on average they get returned “two or three times from families” as they can’t cope with them.
“But when we talk about puppies, they shift within a week,” she said.
And sadly, the characteristics for dogs put up for adoption are always the same. “They tend to be one-year-old and up, of mix breed, and it’s always the bigger dogs. They’re just not seen as ‘designer’ enough I guess, and they get difficult to manage when they grow.”
Of the pure-bred and teacup variety of dogs on show, she said they are most often shipped in from Ukraine and the Czech Republic. And that’s because people opt for “European breeds, and it’s cheaper to import” from these countries.