Whether you’re looking to do your bit to help the struggling strays of Abu Dhabi, or want to know where you can take your pooch out for a bite to eat, here’s our guide to caring for pets and animals in the capital.
Adopting
Abu Dhabi Animal Shelter
Located at the Abu Dhabi Falcon hospital, this shelter for cats and dogs is a great place to go if you want to give an unwanted or abandoned animal a good home. You can view the animals that are up for adoption on their website, and from there make an adoption request or book an appointment to come in and visit. They also help owners to be reunited with lost pets by inviting people to put up notices on their website.
Sun-Thu 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm (pet adoption only). Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, Sweihan Road (02 5755155).
Australian Veterinary Hospital
This vets has branches in both Khalifa City and Reem Island, and it has a large team of doctors and nurses dedicated to caring for both poorly pets and struggling strays. The company works closely with the charity Animal Action UAE and it regularly hosts adoption days, where the public can come along and meet a whole host of different dogs and cats who are looking for a new home. It also offers a reduced-price TNR programme where stray male cats can be neutered for Dhs80 and female cats for Dhs180.
Australian Veterinary Clinic, Khalifa City A (02 556 2990) and Al Reem Island (02 556 5675), www.australianvet.com.
Shopping
The Pet Shack
This ethical pet shop only sells high quality products, made with no harmful materials or ingredients. It actively supports rescue groups, feeding stations and TNR schemes and helps spread awareness of rescue and adoption. The store stocks a huge range of responsibly sourced food, treats and toys for cats, dogs, birds and smaller animals like rabbits. It also has a spa for when your animal needs some expert pampering.
Sat-Thu noon-9pm; Fri 4pm-9pm. Al Reef Villas, Al Reef, www.thepetshack.ae.
Volunteering
Animal Welfare Abu Dhabi
This volunteer-run organisation was formed with the aim of improving the lives of animals in the UAE. They have set up over 200 feeding stations across the city and regularly hold free sterilisation and TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) sessions. They also work closely with schools and universities to help spread the word about the importance of animal welfare, and campaign tirelessly to help the cat colony living on Lulu Island. They rely entirely on vets and members of the public who are willing to volunteer, and if want to do your bit towards helping the capital’s neglected pets, you can sign up to help them out by emailing animalwelfareAD@aol.com.
Facebook: @AnimalWelfareAD
