and leave you in peace and toy dogs are not always the best choice for small children .
WHAT EVENTS DO YOU HOLD TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG PEOPLE ABOUT PET ADOPTION ? A huge part of our job is fundraising as we are a non-profit company run by volunteers so most weekends we hold either a book sale , garage sale or attend Flea markets bazaars or fairs . We hold sponsored dog walks and in April each year we have our “ Puppy Ball ” in a hotel in town . Every month we hold a new volunteer orientation , coffee morning so people can come in and find out what we do . We have a great Education programme where we get visits from schools . We also run a community service programme for students who need hours for their CAS IA . Our Facebook page is update daily and our web page weekly .
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF . I came to the UAE to teach in Abu Dhabi in 1990 and have lived in Dubai since 1992 . I met my husband here and had my kids here . I taught until last year but now I am fortunate enough to work at K9 full time .
WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE ORGANISATION ? I started working with K9 in 1992 and became the K9 Chairperson in 1998 . I have been with the organisation since its mobile phone days right through the Al Quoz warehouse and the shelter we have today .
WHAT PETS DO YOU HAVE ? One horse , three dogs , one cat and two rabbits at this present time .
TELL US A HAPPY ANIMAL ADOPTION INCIDENT . There have been so many but I suppose the cruelty cases that ended up in a wonderful situation do stand out . Domino , who was rescued from a balcony in The Gardens , was spotted by a neighbour who saw her living on a cramped
PEOPLE balcony without shade and surrounded by her own
mess . She was a gift and suffered such neglect and abuse that the lady who owned her luckily gave her up without a question . She remained with us for several weeks while she overcame dehydration , scabies , mange and regained her weight and strength . She then got homed to a lovely family who have since moved to Oman and of course have taken Domino with them .
DO YOU THINK PEOPLE STILL NEED TO BE MORE AWARE REGARDING ANIMAL ADOPTION ? Unfortunately , the UAE it is still very much a throw away society and a lot of people still see pets as a status symbol and will get rid of them if their situation changes or if something better comes along . If everyone was responsible with their animals , had them neutered , didn ’ t breed and made a commitment to their care for their lifetime , there would be no need of places like K9 Friends .
Sadly , we have seen the numbers of pet shops rise and puppies are brought in and sold without any regard to their age or welfare . We are seeing more and more pedigree dogs come through our doors so this is not just a stray dog problem this is a problem , which is being fed by people ’ s lack of responsibility . Dog shelters around the world are full to overflowing and millions of dogs and puppies are put to sleep every day yet people still think its ok to breed , which doesn ’ t make any sense at all . Also , remember if you “ save ” a dog from a pet shop you are only enabling them to buy yet more puppies who have probably been bred on puppy farms and taken away form their mothers far too early .
HOW CAN PEOPLE GET IN TOUCH ? They can reach us through : Our website www . k9friends . com Facebook k9 Friends , Dubai The office is manned from 9am to 1pm every day except Friday and the numbers are 04 8878739 or 050 2741949 . Appointments can only be made through the office .
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