HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Please STOP the opening of the Dubai Municipality's Pet Market!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1CHztyp8fE
UAE - Animal shelters and rescue organizations are flooded with homeless dogs and cats and cannot cope with the numbers thus leading to MANY being euthanized, some not even getting a chance at being rehomed. A new pet market will inevitably make an already critical situation worse!!
The Dubai Municipality already euthanizes a minimum of 60-80 dogs a month. Sharjah Cat & Dog Shelter euthanizes 10 dogs and 10 cats a day. Why? Because many people who can and want to "own" them don't understand the responsibilities involved. These dogs and cats are thrown out in the street like garbage, or surrendered to the Municipality or the animal shelters that are ALWAYS full and have the extremely heartbreaking job of euthanizing hundreds of perfectly healthy, perfectly rehomable dogs and cats each month.
The Shelters and Rescue NPOs are doing their best to rehome these abandoned dogs and cats but it is no easy task and sadly impossible to save them all!!
A wide majority of the UAE's expats are transiting for a very short period of time, live alone and work all day or live in properties having a "no pets allowed" policy making it hard or impossible to adopt a pet.
Cases of abuse and neglect are reported daily and only on the rise!! The Animal Welfare Law needs to be re-enforced and penalties imposed for this terrible mistreatment of these innocent creatures who cannot defend themselves.
If the breeding and selling continues, the suffering and dying will too!
*The adoption rate will decrease further leading to an increase in the rates of innocent dogs and cats being euthanized. And on top of that, these animals (mostly the dogs) are sold or auctioned to people with the money but not necessarily the commitment towards their care and to homing them for life.
Lets not encourage this and focus on ending the suffering and waste of innocent lives! Let's invest in the following instead. The UAE urgently needs it!!
*The re-enforcement of UAE Animal Welfare Law 16.
*Strategic "Neuter and Spay Campaigns" and education on general animal welfare.
*Increasing awareness on pet adoption.
*Putting an end to the poisoning of cats and dogs in our communities and in the desert areas of the UAE.
We trust you will hear our plea and take action to protect and preserve the lives of these innocent creatures who cannot speak for themselves!!
Thank you!!