Surge in financially strapped owners abandoning pets, welfare groups say

Animal welfare groups are reporting a higher than usual number of pet owners who are upset that they cannot afford to take their pet with them when they leave, though experts say better financial planning is required.

ABU DHABI // Animal welfare groups report a surge of ­animals being left behind by financially strapped pet owners when they relocate.

“We are definitely seeing an upturn in the number of pet owners coming to us asking us to rehome their animals because they are leaving the UAE,” said Sarah Bartlett, a spokeswoman for Animal Action UAE.

“Compared with previous years, the number of people approaching us saying they are relocating overseas and cannot afford to take their animals with them is on the up, quite substantially.

“Critically, the issue does not seem to be that those leaving do not want to take their animals – in many cases they are highly upset and emotional when they contact us – but it’s a question of being able to afford it.”

This poses several challenges for the rescue group.

“If the volume of expatriates leaving is higher than usual then our pool of prospective expatriate adopters is smaller – at the same time we are still rescuing animals off the street and then having to deal with ­returned animals that we once re-homed,” Ms Bartlett said. “So it is a double whammy.

“We fear this situation will get worse over the summer, and this will hit us at the worst time of year, when many animals are being abandoned any­way.”

Summer and Ramadan are already peak times for animal welfare groups being left with abandoned pets and strays, Ms Bartlett said.

“The real losers are all the animals who are wrenched from their homes and quite often end up on the streets,” she said.

“We would like to communicate the message that when you take on any animal – rescue or otherwise – you are making a commitment to it for its lifespan.

“We urge all expatriates to look into the costs of a potential relocation before they take on the animal, and put money away for it.

“Sadly, a high number of ­animals are going to be abandoned to uncertain fates in the next few months because their owners, despite their love for them, failed to plan properly.”

Tania Barley, of the Ras Al Khaimah Animal Welfare Centre, has also noticed a trend of families no longer being able to afford to keep their pets.

“We do notice an increase of animals being surrendered because the family cannot afford to take them out of the country,” she said. “While we do agree that it can unfortunately cost quite a bit to travel with your pet, we also think that, in many cases, part of the problem is lack of planning.

“That is why we always try our best to explain to anyone who adopts an animal from us that there will come a day when they need to leave the country, and they need to prepare for it.”

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