Animal shelters in Saudi Arabia see a rise in unwanted dogs and cats

[ PLEASE SEE ADS IN MY BLOGS [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]

DUBAI: Animal welfare workers across Saudi Arabia are being inundated with daily requests to take on unwanted dogs and cats as they say pet abandonment across the Kingdom is at record highs.

Nour Fetyani, a Saudi, is the adoption coordinator for Open Paws Jeddah, a team of volunteers who rescue and re-home Jeddah’s abandoned dogs. She works around-the-clock to find forever homes for abandoned dogs.

“It (animal abandonment) is increasing; it is phone calls to us, it is contacting us via WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook,” she said. “I would say it is every other day, if not daily.”

Animal owners, she said, often have the same reasons for giving up pets: Neighbors who have complained about dogs barking, new-found allergies or a change in family circumstances.

Others, she said, simply do not want to spend the time taking care of the animals they bought. Fetyani said that a lack of foresight is often a big contributing factor.