By Vera Rosales
If you’ve been living here for some time, you would have noticed that the country is much more “feline-friendly” and that you don’t often see a dog welcoming you into a friend’s abode. Though cultural and religious beliefs here have led to an effct on these furry mutts’ image, there is still much love for man’s best friend. A shining example of this is SOS for Emirates Dogs, a group whose sole mission is to save and rehabilitate stray dogs in the Gulf. I spoke to one of the founders, Amirah Williams…
Tempo: When did SOS for Emirates Dogs start saving dogs?
Amirah: There are many stray dogs living in the desert, coastal and urban areas of Umm Al Quwain and there aren’t established rescue groups or shelters. A friend of mine, Petra Petrikova, and I set up SOS for Emirates Dogs – we initially called it SOS Animal Rescue UAQ – to deal with the problem.
Tempo: How do you rescue dogs?
Amirah: ‘On a wing and a prayer’. We have been given land from the Umm Al Quwain Government and are in the process of gaining non-profit status also. At the moment we are funded solely by public donations to cover operational costs, food, cleaning products etc. When we are called to rescue a dog there are normally three rescuers. The method we use depends on the temperament of the dog, whether it is befriending it, offering grilled chicken as a magnet, and using a trapping pole.
Tempo: What’s a normal day like at SOS for Emirates Dogs shelter?
Amirah: Work commences at 6am. Breakfast for the first five rooms is put into bowls and arranged outside, and the first rooms are let out to eat and exercise. While they are eating, two caretakers do the cleaning and another two supervise feeding time. This continues for the next ten rooms. Dogs are fed and exercised while rooms and outside areas are cleaned over a three-hour period.
The caretakers take a one hour break from 9 to 10am then one of them cooks dinner while the other three start the routine of letting the dogs out through their routine of exercise, de-ticking, bathing etc. One room per day is de-ticked and washed. Then at 2pm, the caretakers take another one hour break and the dinner rounds start! Everything is normally over by 6pm.
Tempo: What is the best part of your job?
Amirah: Seeing a doggy with a broken soul being transformed. Here’s a funny story that happened one morning last June. I was ready to head out the door for work but just as I was closing the back gate, one of our dogs, Mama, shot past me like a bat out of the cave! I dropped my bag and laptop and started to run
after her – wearing abaya, hijab and heels! I frantically called out to her but she effortlessly ran down the road with the grace of a Gazelle. Unfortunately, it was not as glamorous for me. Cars passing by and onlookers stared, as an odd sight of Muslim lady chasing a dog down the street was not a normal occurrence!
After five minutes of running around the street I stopped. “Be free!” I called out to Mama in a loud and piercing voice that could have shattered 100 crystal glasses. It certainly scared the living daylights out of the children waiting for their buses. Mama stopped, looked back as if she was saying, “Catch me if you can!” At that point, I turned around to go back. But as soon as I reached the car I found Mama standing beside me, wagging her tail. I was drenched in sweat, feet aching, and exhausted – but how could I resist her?
Tempo: So what does the future hold for SOS for Emirates Dogs
Amirah: We want to complete the construction of our new centre on the land that the government has given us. As a Muslim I know and understand the bias that exists towards dogs. I would therefore like to leave readers with this thought. Quran 6:38: “There is not an animal on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but that they form communities like you and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end”.
Go to Facebook page: SOS for Emirates Dogs
