The K9 team at Dubai Police are looking for homes for their retired bomb-sniffing dogs.
The animals on the adoption list have retired from active police duties or were unable to meet the demands of police work.
Until 2019, such dogs stayed with their handlers but since last year members of the public have been allowed to adopt police dogs that have been trained in patrol and narcotics detection and can even smell Covid-19.
So far, six have been rehomed while another six are on the waiting list.
We filter the applications to choose properly and ensure the dogs are sent to families that will really care for them.
Maj Salah Al Mazrooei,
director of Dubai Police Security Inspection K9 Unit
Applications are open but there is a strict procedure before families are shortlisted and chosen to adopt a dog.
“We filter the applications to choose properly and ensure the dogs are sent to families that will really care for them,” said Maj Salah Al Mazrooei, director of Dubai Police Security Inspection K9 Unit.
"They must have a spacious home, know how to deal with dogs and that they allow us to visit on inspections."
Dubai resident Tene Saarva, from Estonia, took one dog home. She said she always wanted a German shepherd but was more interested in adopting than buying.
“After I saw the announcement, I got in touch with the police. I wanted to adopt, not shop for a dog,” said Ms Saarva, 31, who lives in Dubai's Al Barsha area with her Emirati husband and their six children.
She met Denny, a two-year-old German shepherd, before starting the application process.
She said there are many conditions to adopt – pledging not to sell or give away the dog, ensure it will not be harmed and will be given a good and safe home.
“It also mandates that police are allowed to come to our home to inspect,” she said.
Her children and step-children were very excited when Denny arrived, and even happier because he does not bite or bark but wants to play all the time.
“He is very active and very friendly with the children. They are bringing down the house but it's fine, the children would have done it anyway,” Ms Saarva said.
She said Denny gets along with their three cats – Gucci, Daemon and Snowy.
“He loves Daemon, my sphinx cat, and the two others and never chases them,” said Abdulaziz Al Marzooqi, 14, Ms Saarva's stepson.
Abdulaziz said he is more of a cat person but also loves dogs.
Since taking Denny home, the family have been asked to send pictures and videos of him to the police and update them on how the pet is settling in his new home.
In the past three years, 41 retired police dogs were given away to their handlers and other police officers.
The unit gets new dogs each year as old ones are rehomed. Currently, there are 82 dogs at the unit, including 12 new arrivals that joined this year.
They are different breeds such as Malinois, German shepherds, labradors, springer spaniels and cocker spaniels.
“We wanted dogs to cover the security of Dubai Expo 2020 site but not in a way that would affect our presence at other places, so we added 12 dogs this year,” Maj Al Mazrooei said.
The country’s first police veterinary surgeon, Second Lt Maryam Beljafflah, 25, who began her role at the unit last year, said she hopes the six retired dogs on the waiting list also get a good home soon.
Ms Beljafflah is one of three vets at the unit and will soon be joined by a nurse.
Vaclav, an eight-year-old Labrador, is one of the dogs up for adoption.
“He is very excited all the time,” she said as she patted and calmed him down.
“Our dogs retire when they grow old or do not perform up to the mark during training. Internationally, if a dog is above 8 or 9 years he is usually relieved from active duty."
Two of the six retired dogs on the list are being sent to new homes because of low performance, she said.
“They passed obedience training but unfortunately didn’t do well when it came to the specialised training.”
The K9 unit was established in 1976 with six dogs but grew over the years.
In 2018, it was moved to the General Department for Protective Security and Emergency.
“We now have 55 instructors, including six Emirati women. Each is assigned to work with a number of dogs,” Maj Al Mazrooei said.
When hiring new instructors, Maj Al Mazrooei said he looks for many skills but previous experience and a passion for working with dogs are the most important.
“After new instructors join, they undergo intermediate and advanced training courses," he said.
The dogs have also been trained to follow trails of missing people and help identify the causes of fire, among many other tasks.
Soon the unit will organise an event to help the general public better train their dogs.
“We will design the time of this training to be around school holidays,” Maj Al Mazrooei said.
Those interested in applying to adopt a police dog can call 042100802 or email m.alrahoomi@dubaipolice.gov.ae
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
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Ultra processed foods
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
