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Abu Dhabi abandoned dogs fed nightly by expat volunteer
| Published: | 27 Sep at 6 PM |
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An expat in Abu Dhabi who volunteers with a local dog shelter has been driving every night to the rough desert lands around Abu Dhabi Industrial City to feed the increasing number of abandoned dogs gathering in the area.
After he’d seen abandoned dogs close by a factory he’d visited last year, Zeeshan decided to volunteer with charity Animal Action Abu Dhabi. Since then, he’s been driving into the sparsely populated area with as much food as he can gather together to ensure the dogs have at least one good meal a day. After he’s finished work, he starts his daily journey around 10 p.m and gets back home around midnight. The area is newly developed for industrial usage, with no local population, shops or malls, meaning there’s simply no-one else around to feed the strays.
He spends around Dh500 every month on dog food, with the animal shelter now helping out with donations where it can. Food, he says, is costly, so he buys sausages, cooks them and cuts them into small pieces to ensure each dog gets a meal. At present there are just seven dogs in the area, but on his last visit he found seven newborn puppies, telling local media that’s an illustration of how fast an abandoned dog population can grow, becoming a financial strain on any welfare charity. Animal Action helps out with donated food when it can but money is tight.
According to the charity, it’s now the dumping time of year for pet dogs, meaning the population is expected to increase but there’s no more room in the shelter at present. Representing the charity, Natalie Jones told local media the answer is sterilisation, achieved by trapping the strays, neutering them and releasing them back where they were found. It’s not possible, she said, to keep them all within the premises as there’s only space for 20 dogs and cats and there’s ‘no room at the inn’ right now.
Natalie advised those who wanted to help but who can’t have dogs or cats at home to contribute the small cost of neutering as a sponsor. In the meantime, kind-hearted expat Zeeshan will continue his meals on wheels service for unwanted pets.
After he’d seen abandoned dogs close by a factory he’d visited last year, Zeeshan decided to volunteer with charity Animal Action Abu Dhabi. Since then, he’s been driving into the sparsely populated area with as much food as he can gather together to ensure the dogs have at least one good meal a day. After he’s finished work, he starts his daily journey around 10 p.m and gets back home around midnight. The area is newly developed for industrial usage, with no local population, shops or malls, meaning there’s simply no-one else around to feed the strays.
He spends around Dh500 every month on dog food, with the animal shelter now helping out with donations where it can. Food, he says, is costly, so he buys sausages, cooks them and cuts them into small pieces to ensure each dog gets a meal. At present there are just seven dogs in the area, but on his last visit he found seven newborn puppies, telling local media that’s an illustration of how fast an abandoned dog population can grow, becoming a financial strain on any welfare charity. Animal Action helps out with donated food when it can but money is tight.
According to the charity, it’s now the dumping time of year for pet dogs, meaning the population is expected to increase but there’s no more room in the shelter at present. Representing the charity, Natalie Jones told local media the answer is sterilisation, achieved by trapping the strays, neutering them and releasing them back where they were found. It’s not possible, she said, to keep them all within the premises as there’s only space for 20 dogs and cats and there’s ‘no room at the inn’ right now.
Natalie advised those who wanted to help but who can’t have dogs or cats at home to contribute the small cost of neutering as a sponsor. In the meantime, kind-hearted expat Zeeshan will continue his meals on wheels service for unwanted pets.
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