Urgently required: Foster homes for abandoned pets
dubai — Animal rescuers are encouraging UAE residents to open up their homes to foster abandoned pets.
With an increase in pets being abandoned every summer in the country, especially dogs and cats, more foster families are needed. Animal Action UAE, a volunteerrun group that rescues animals, said they rescue about 30 abandoned pets each month and that number increases during the summer months.
The group, which was founded eight years ago, currently has 30 to 35 foster families which looks after these animals until they are found a permanent home. However, many more foster families are needed.
“Many people take on the responsibility of animals without considering the future. Pet relocation
Adopting an animal is a lifelong commitment which needs to be thought through properly before going ahead and getting an animal.” Sarita Harding, volunteer at Animal Action UAE
can cost a lot of money and this has an impact on families being able to take their animals with them, as often people have not planned for the unexpected cost,” Sarita Harding, a volunteer at Animal Action UAE, said. “When taking on an animal, families need to consider the cost of relocation and also vets costs. Adopting an animal is a lifelong commitment which needs to be thought through properly before going ahead and getting an animal.”
Khaleej Times reported in April — months before summer when the number of abandoned pets surges — that the dog shelter, K9 Friends, was already overflowing with dogs that had been abandoned by their owners. At that time, they were sheltering 144 dogs, even though they have the capacity to hold only 120.
Animal Action UAE also made an announcement in March on Facebook that they were already overflowing — again, months before summer.
“Sadly, we are having to stop accepting any more cats or dogs until after the summer, due to the huge number of dogs that we currently have,” the post said.
“Our older and long-term dogs (especially those that have been in boarding for months or years) are always looked over due to the many other dogs that we are always taking on and urgently looking for foster homes for. “We also don’t want to be stuck during the summer, with 90+ dogs and no shelter whilst everyone is away and kennels are fully booked.”
Dubai resident Adrienne de Silva, who rescues and fosters animals, has fostered 10 animals in the past few years. She recently held an adoption day to find some of the dogs a permanent home.
“I tend to find them and bring them home or directly to the vet depending on the case,” Silva said. “It’s very difficult to home these dogs, because rather than a majority adoption, there is more abandoning. We do need all the help we can get. Fosters and people kind enough to take these beautiful dogs in, yes, anything would do.”
She also advertised the adoption day on Facebook, highlighting that the dogs were “running out of places to be”.