SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A DUBAI VET
Animal health specialists are recruited in campaign against practice of dog fighting,
DUBAI // From taking calls about advice on keeping lions to trawling social media for signs of dogfighting, it is all just in a day’s work for the busy veterinary health inspectors at Dubai Municipality.
Their workload is unlikely to let up any time soon, with laws in the pipeline to restrict ownership of certain dog breeds.
Inspectors expect six breeds to be added to the banned dogs list, which already includes pit bulls, wolf-dog hybrids, American Staffordshire terriers, Japanese tosa, Brazilian and Argentinian mastiffs and crossbreeds of any of the six kinds of dogs.
Adding to that list could lead to a whole new batch of issues, said Dr Susan Aylott, a volunteer with Animal Welfare Abu Dhabi.
“The concern is that dogs already in the UAE that end up on the new banned list could end up being dumped, adding to the problem of strays that need to be rehomed,” she said, adding that an updated banned list would have to protect pets already in the UAE.
“It needs to be clearly publicised that any new breeds added to the list are prohibited from being imported into the UAE, and that those dogs already in the country are registered and put on a database, so we know who the owners are, and what they are doing with them.
“If they are caring owners, they should not be penalised and the dogs should be allowed to live out their natural lives in the UAE. There needs to be clear planning for the future, so these dogs are not put onto a death list.”
The veterinary health inspectors also deal with reports of dog bites in the emirate.
This year, about 150 incidents were reported, and not all involved dogs of breeds on the dangerous list.
Most calls to the division involve poorly- trained dogs, or dogs that have been neglected rather than dangerous breeds.
If that were not enough to keep the inspectors busy, there is also the problem of dogfighting.
“The issue has reduced a lot in Dubai since the 1990s, when it was everywhere, but it is still a problem,” said Thani Nasser Alsuwaidi, assistant veterinary health inspector at the municipality’s Public Health Services Department.
“Now it is hidden, more underground than out in the open, making it difficult to close down these operations. When we do get tip-offs, it is usually too late and they’re gone.
“When we find dogs that have been used in fights, especially pit bulls, they have signs of scarring, bleeding or bites.”
“I found an Instagram account of an owner of a pit bull, and it was clear he was using the dog for fighting. But with social media, it is hard to demand information on account holders to investigate.
“All we can do is report our concerns to the correct channels, like Interpol. “Sometimes we get lucky. Some people are stupid.
“There was one photo of a dogfight that had a guy’s car in the background. We were able to trace it.”
There is no prison sentence for holding dogfights but proposals are afoot that could mean a one-year jail term and Dh500,000 fine for anyone found guilty of using dogs for fighting.