‘Dogs want to love and be loved’

umm al quwain — If you’re a dog lover but don’t have the space at home or with limited time to pet a canine friend, there is a kennel in Umm Al Quwain where you can spend your weekends to help rehabilitate some abandoned fourlegged buddies.

On Fridays and Saturdays, you can serve as a volunteer at Stray Dogs Centre UAQ, a registered, non-profit organisation on a mission to help abused and neglected animals. Formerly known as SOS for Emirates Dogs, it was founded in 2013 out of an urgent need to address the stray animal population in the emirate.

With the support of the UAQ Municipality, a permanent centre was established in 2014 in Al Surrah to rescue and rehabilitate a larger number of abandoned pets. What started as a rescuing and re-homing initiative for stray dogs and cats turned into a more comprehensive animal welfare programme.

According to volunteers, from 2013 to 2016, over 900 animals, including, dogs, cats, birds and a couple of donkeys and camels have been rescued and resettled.

Polish expat Dora Mroz said there are 126 dogs currently at the centre. Volunteers are needed to walk the dogs, feed them, bathe them, cut their nails, monitor their weight, assist in administering their medicine and also to bring them to the vet.

But the animals are not the only ones finding solace at the centre. “The place makes me quite peaceful — it has a calming effect on me, being away from the stress of a city life,” Bishal Ghoss tells Khaleej Times.

“Walking the dog, for example, is a powerful antidote to stress,” he adds. “When you walk a dog, you spend more time outdoors and you become more attuned to the natural beauty around you.

“Dogs are naturally affectionate and their instinct is to want to bond. They want to love and be loved — just like us — and showing them compassion, especially those who were abandoned, makes us more human,” Ghoss explains.

Volunteering at the centre is also a good way to create more friends. Animal lovers always strike up conversations with like-minded fellows, thereby establishing a strong sense of community.

Stray Dogs Center UAQ is always in need of extra help. If you want to volunteer, meet up times are the following: Fridays, 2.30pm at Mirdif Street 71, Aswaaq Parking; 3pm Enoc Petrol Station, Ajman, 311 Road (contact Ajith 050 7986270); Saturdays, 11am Mirdif Street 71, Aswaaq Parking; 11.30am Enoc Petrol Station, Ajman, 311 Road (call Abhi 050 3560552).

Find them on FB: @StrayDogsCenterUAQ

angel@khaleejtimes.com

BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE ... Volunteers of the registered, non-profit organisation Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain are on a mission to rescue and rehabilitate abused and neglected animals.

MAN’S BEST FRIEND ... If you want a break from your stressful life, then coming to this kennel will surely have a calming effect on you.

POUNCY PLAYMATES ... Volunteers try to control hyperactive dogs as they get into a playful mood at the UAQ dog shelter.

PAMPER SESSION ... It is not only the dogs that find solace at the centre but also the volunteers who unwind as they play with them.

THE INSTINCT TO BOND ... Volunteers take dogs for walks around the centre as dogs need walks for exercise and mental stimulation.

LISTEN UP FOLKS ... Volunteers being briefed about the dos and don’ts before they mingle with the rescued pets at the shelter.

READY FOR A WALK ... A volunteer puts a leash around a dog at the Stray Dogs Centre as she gets it ready for a walk.

DOGGLES PLEASE ... A dog-lover lends his glasses to his furry friend to add some swag to the picture they are posing for.

ATTENTION & AFFECTION ... Dogs at the centre depend on volunteers to walk, feed, bathe them, and also take them to vets.