# Are dogs/cats welcome in UAE?



## kindergartencop (Feb 16, 2011)

Hi we have cats and a puppy but I HAVE JUST RECENTLY GOT A JOB IN aBU dHABI. aRE ANIMALS WELCOME? DO THEY ALLOW THEM IN RENTED APARTMENTS?


----------



## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

kindergartencop said:


> Hi we have cats and a puppy but I HAVE JUST RECENTLY GOT A JOB IN aBU dHABI. aRE ANIMALS WELCOME? DO THEY ALLOW THEM IN RENTED APARTMENTS?


Generally yes, but make sure to point out that it is a requirement to your agent when looking


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Cats you can get away with a bit more then dogs. Are you going to be living in abu dhabi? There isnt as many western expat areas in abu dhabi. It is more mixed and with that, overall, muslim people do not want to live around dogs. You will be hard pressed to find an apartment buildings in abu dhabi that allows you to have a dog. Villas will be hit or mix, depending on who currently lives in the area. 

I was involved in a 'rescue' that the neighbor called the police because she said "the angels wouldnt visit her because of the dog". The police directly told her to throw it out into the streets ad it couldnt stay in her villa another moment.... 

Very important to live in a very western expat area.


----------



## CrowdedHouse (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm not sure about AD, but in Dubai you should a) make sure it's not against the building community rules and b) it's written explicitly in your contract what you are allowed to have (and how many).

Some people move into a community thinking they are allowed (maybe the estate agent told them OK or even the leasing office)...but what counts legally is what's written into your tenancy contract (not community guide book, marketing flyer, etc).

If you don't know for sure, you might find yourself in a situation of having to move prematurely or give up your animals for adoption.  Better to be 100% than sorry.


----------



## kindergartencop (Feb 16, 2011)

*thanks*

We have a puppy and it will be such a rench to leave her. Problem is I don't know where we will be staying it could be Abu Dhabi or Al Ain as I am going over teaching kindergarten local children.


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

kindergartencop said:


> Hi we have cats and a puppy but I HAVE JUST RECENTLY GOT A JOB IN aBU dHABI. aRE ANIMALS WELCOME? DO THEY ALLOW THEM IN RENTED APARTMENTS?




Hi

Please remember internet protocol, typing in capital letters is considered as shouting.
Thanks

Maiden


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Also bear in mind what you will do with the animals if you have to leave suddenly, also you say you have a pup and you are going to work, who will look after the pup when you are out at work?

Maiden


----------



## Jason_S (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm half certain muslims see dogs as unclean and aren't really fond of them. Where I live I've never ever seen any Pakistani muslim walking or touching a dog. Is this incorrect?


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Jason_S said:


> I'm half certain muslims see dogs as unclean and aren't really fond of them. Where I live I've never ever seen any Pakistani muslim walking or touching a dog. Is this incorrect?




Yes it is...


----------



## Jason_S (Feb 22, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> Yes it is...


Would you care to elaborate?

I've just read another post where somebody has posted the same as me. I also checked with my auntie last night who is a Muslim and my cousins are "taught dogs are dirty" (oddly enough, Pakistani Muslims)

Although no banned, I would see it as quite insensitive and arrogant to take a dog to a Muslim country.


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Jason_S said:


> Would you care to elaborate?
> 
> I've just read another post where somebody has posted the same as me. I also checked with my auntie last night who is a Muslim and my cousins are "taught dogs are dirty" (oddly enough, Pakistani Muslims)
> 
> Although no banned, I would see it as quite insensitive and arrogant to take a dog to a Muslim country.


Sorry I read it as correct.


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

In dubai you will find certain areas are heavy expat areas. Those areas are where you will find people with dogs walking about with dogs on leash and no care in the world. It is like you are transplanted from one western city to another. Then there are areas that are mixed. Those areas, you will find if they do have pets, will most likely be a cat or a dog that will fit in their hand. Even then, the neighbors may or may not be happy. Then you have non western areas that would not look kindly on dogs and in reality will call the cops over the dog, poison the dog, and worse. And there is nothing you can do about it. As the dog was not welcome and the neighbors have the right to live in peace and cleanliness. 

Be careful where you choose to live. And realize the dog is not welcome out and about outside of those little areas.


----------



## kindergartencop (Feb 16, 2011)

*dogs*

Yes but ADEC want us there to teach all their muslim children in native english. No more arabic is to be used when educating their children. We have a puppy and MY children are western. I am wanted over there not the other way around. So our culture should be tolerated also.

Why should we give up our way of life if we are the ones that are needed not the other way round?????


----------



## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

kindergartencop said:


> Why should we give up our way of life?????


For money.


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Give and take...  Just choose to live in one of the heavy 'western' expat areas if you wish to have a dog.


----------



## goingtodubai (Sep 21, 2009)

I live in the Marina and dogs are not well seen here


----------



## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

goingtodubai said:


> I live in the Marina and dogs are not well seen here


You obviously don't frequent Barasti.


----------



## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

kindergartencop said:


> ...I am wanted over there not the other way around. So our culture should be tolerated also.
> 
> Why should we give up our way of life if we are the ones that are needed not the other way round?????


The decision is ultimately yours to make, no one is holding a gun to your head to force you to give up your culture in exchange for $$$ and a job that you are obviously interested in (if not, why this conversation ?).

I am sure there are tons of people who will step up and take the job if you are willing to compromise your culture to live in a foreign country. I highly doubt that you are the only one who could do this kinder-garden teaching job.

It still amaze me to see people who expect to compromise nothing to fit in a foreign culture, and expect things to accommodate themselves in a foreign land.

Save yourseld hassles and do some research before applying for a foreign job...


----------



## kindergartencop (Feb 16, 2011)

We are sensitive to the muslim religion and are giving up and going to engulf ourselves in their culture its just hard on my children as we have 3 horses, 11 cats, a dog and chickens at home. It would have been nice for them to take our puppy. And I am not looking at the money as I have that in the UK. I am going so our family can have an adventure and I can give to arabic children. So please do not judge me when u don't know me


----------



## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

kindergartencop said:


> We are sensitive to the muslim religion and are giving up and going to engulf ourselves in their culture its just hard on my children as we have 3 horses, 11 cats, a dog and chickens at home. It would have been nice for them to take our puppy. And I am not looking at the money as I have that in the UK. I am going so our family can have an adventure and I can give to arabic children. So please do not judge me when u don't know me


This is an Internet public forum, you are "judged" by the opinion that you expressed. That's just how it work, in my opinion.

So you have $$$ in UK and only come here for the adventure, how about bring the 3 horses, 11 cats and chicken instead of the dog for your children. They will be a lot welcome instead and you only left 1 animal behind.


----------



## Jason_S (Feb 22, 2011)

kindergartencop said:


> We are sensitive to the muslim religion and are giving up and going to engulf ourselves in their culture its just hard on my children as we have 3 horses, 11 cats, a dog and chickens at home. It would have been nice for them to take our puppy. And I am not looking at the money as I have that in the UK. I am going so our family can have an adventure and I can give to arabic children. So please do not judge me when u don't know me


Kindergartencop don't take any comment as a personal insult because as this is an internet forum its very difficult to judge another's personality. I've never been to Dubai although I do intend to move there. This means I can't accurately comment on their views of pet dogs. Saying this, I wouldn't take my dog because of the fact it is indeed a Muslim country. 

I would expect anti-western sentiment will grow in Dubai because of things like this. Something as simple as walking your dog could be extremely intimidating to an emirate and I can completely understand why. If you move countries expect to act with large amounts of respect for the local customs.


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

kindergartencop said:


> We are sensitive to the muslim religion and are giving up and going to engulf ourselves in their culture its just hard on my children as we have 3 horses, 11 cats, a dog and chickens at home. It would have been nice for them to take our puppy. And I am not looking at the money as I have that in the UK. I am going so our family can have an adventure and I can give to arabic children. So please do not judge me when u don't know me


As other members of the forum have pointed out, there are 'Western' areas that you could live in, where people would be more accommodating to your pets.

However, you also need to consider a few other things and that's were your personal circumstances (as opposed to what the UAE allows/ does not allow) will play a major role:

1. How big a house would you realistically need to house your family and the pets? A large villa will be your only option if you have cats, chicken and dogs. That will wipe out your budget in no time at all as housing cost a small fortune out here.

2. Where would you keep the chickens and the horses? During the summer, it would be inhumane to leave ANYTHING outside. The temperature is close to 50 degrees and unfortunately, if you leave your animals outside, you would come back home to a rather foul smell and dead animals. Are you prepared to live with chickens in the house? Are you prepared to live fully grown horses in the house. In this case, it would not be a case of whether you can bring the animals in but rather would it be humane to actually bring them here knowing full well that, area alone, there are no villas/ apartments built that would cater for what you really want. I'm not sure if there any places where you could leave the horses but even if there were, the cost would be quite high. Your children actually still ride at local riding schools though if that is of any consolation.

Whilst the UAE is slowly turning greener, the reality is that it is still very much an arid place aka desert! You probably have a lot of land back home to allow your animals to run around. The UAE is built up and unfortunately that does not really go that well with animals. It'll be the equivalent of trying to keep your pets in Central London - it just would not work! 

As you have said, why not bring the puppy and just find somewhere that is more accepting of pets for you to live. Loads of people have brought pets over, so it is very much possible albeit a bit of a hassle.


----------



## Nightshadow (Sep 21, 2010)

kindergartencop said:


> Hi we have cats and a puppy but I HAVE JUST RECENTLY GOT A JOB IN aBU dHABI. aRE ANIMALS WELCOME? DO THEY ALLOW THEM IN RENTED APARTMENTS?


Whoa, did your CAPS LOCK get stuck? Hope you can fix that soon otherwise people might think you are yelling at them. 

Yes there are places where people can have pets. Make sure to check with your landlord beforehand.


----------



## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

kindergartencop said:


> Yes but ADEC want us there to teach all their muslim children in native english. No more arabic is to be used when educating their children. We have a puppy and MY children are western. I am wanted over there not the other way around. So our culture should be tolerated also.
> 
> Why should we give up our way of life if we are the ones that are needed not the other way round?????


With an attitude like that I would recommend you stay where you are.


----------



## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

kindergartencop said:


> Yes but ADEC want us there to teach all their muslim children in native english. No more arabic is to be used when educating their children. We have a puppy and MY children are western. I am wanted over there not the other way around. So our culture should be tolerated also.
> 
> Why should we give up our way of life if we are the ones that are needed not the other way round?????




I consider we are tolerated in the UAE. It's your attitude that needs to change. :boxing:


----------



## goingtodubai (Sep 21, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> You obviously don't frequent Barasti.


ive been there a few times, dont understand your point ?


----------



## CrowdedHouse (Feb 22, 2011)

Jason, it's more of a cultural/personal thing and not a religious thing. There are plenty of muslim dog owners in the world, in fact there is a local woman in Dubai who runs a rescue shelter for animals (including dogs).

In the Koran, just like the Bible, animals are considered from God and are to be treated with respect. I think you'll find that any aversion to dogs (or other animals) is purely a personal issue. But you can't broadly paint an entire religion of people with the same brush.


----------



## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

CrowdedHouse said:


> Jason, it's more of a cultural/personal thing and not a religious thing. There are plenty of muslim dog owners in the world, in fact there is a local woman in Dubai who runs a rescue shelter for animals (including dogs).
> 
> In the Koran, just like the Bible, animals are considered from God and are to be treated with respect. I think you'll find that any aversion to dogs (or other animals) is purely a personal issue. But you can't broadly paint an entire religion of people with the same brush.


Well, not having first hand knowledge myself would have to rely on what most people have said and on Wikipedia
Islam and dogs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## jlcfmr (May 9, 2011)

We are considering moving to Dubai later this year, but we have 2 cats. I see that people said to look in the more westernized areas, could you please shed some light for me on where those are. I need to do some research to see if those areas are accommodating to the housing allowance my husband's company will be giving us. 

Also, Are there veterinarians pretty easy to find or are they just a few since there doesn't seem to be a lot of pets in Dubai?


----------



## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

jlcfmr said:


> We are considering moving to Dubai later this year, but we have 2 cats. I see that people said to look in the more westernized areas, could you please shed some light for me on where those are. I need to do some research to see if those areas are accommodating to the housing allowance my husband's company will be giving us.
> 
> Also, Are there veterinarians pretty easy to find or are they just a few since there doesn't seem to be a lot of pets in Dubai?


Lots of vets here, it is big business (and expensive). 90% of the population are expats and all of ''New Dubai' is Westernised. It would be easier to list the areas that are not so westernised....Bur Dubai, Karama, Diera etc.
Where you live should be decided by where you work and where your children go to school. Check out Dubizzle website for an idea of annual rents.
Property Real Estate for Sale and Rent. Jobs in the Middle East and North Africa , Free Classifieds in with Dubizzle.com


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Vets are expensive. Just had to go thru a bit of a mess with one of my cats who got a claw stuck and now has nerve damage in his back from dangling on the side of the bed.... OUCH. 

And keep in mind that shipping from the usa is rough on them. Make sure you 'like' it here and are going to stay for any amount of time. I would put them with family for a few months until getting here and deciding you can do more then one year. I dont think one year would have been worth it to have my two cats go thru the trauma of the flights. 

Cats are not an issue for renting usually. Just dont let them out of the apartment/villa would be my suggestion.


----------



## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

jlcfmr said:


> We are considering moving to Dubai later this year, but we have 2 cats. I see that people said to look in the more westernized areas, could you please shed some light for me on where those are. I need to do some research to see if those areas are accommodating to the housing allowance my husband's company will be giving us.
> 
> Also, Are there veterinarians pretty easy to find or are they just a few since there doesn't seem to be a lot of pets in Dubai?


any area in the new dubai is good for you, from jumeirah 1 towards jebel ali. if your cats are not too loud, you won't have problems living in any of those areas. if you're going to live in a villa, be careful where the kitties tread as they are on the menu of some of the asian cuisines some people enjoy here... i live in jebel ali and my birman is "illegal" in the building, but thank God, have had no issues of any kind with the neighbours or the developer, and she never goes out. 

vets are very expensive, and many of those calling themselves vets have no idea what they are doing despite the many letters of credentials after their names. i've changed the vet twice before finding caring specialists and helpful staff. 

you need to make sure your kitties are in good health, vaccinated and preferably spayed/neutered when you leave the states as genetic diseases here are rampant and it's very hard to find homes for kittens. also, bring with you toys, blankies, and a good supply of any medicines they may be on, and ask your vet there to give you a full history of treatment if your lovelies have had any. litter sand is quite all right here, too much of it even 

pet food is expensive and low quality. i'm struggling with food a little because the whiskas i used to feed my baby caused her to have bladder stones and so she's been on a diet for two months now. the vet said the food found in the supermarkets here is the worst quality as it is made for asia and the middle east and has no nutritional value. it's like feeding the pets mcdonalds every day, she said. 

other than that, you'll find here a lot of pet-loving people among the expats, and sometimes locals have pets too, especially cats, fish, falcons and parrots, with fewer locals keeping dogs as pets. some locals, especially very rich ones, keep exotic pets as well, such as capuchin monkeys, tigers, pumas, large snakes, lions, and the like. exotic animal trade is illegal of course, but for what's legal and illegal in dubai, you'll have to turn to other threads...

good luck with your move.


----------

