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K9 Friends gets eviction notice
DUBAI - As their eviction date draws near, a non-profit dog rescue organisation has called on UAE residents concerned to adopt and provide permanent homes to the more than 100 dogs that are currently under their care.
The Dubai-based organisation, K9 Friends, has received a formal notice from their landlord requesting them to vacate their premises in Al Barsha by May 31 when their lease contract expires. This latest development has left the K9 Friends volunteers in an urgent need to re-locate a total of 128 dogs in their shelter.
“Our landlord has refused to renew the lease for another year. K9 Friends regrets that, once again, we have to suspend our present operation and concentrate on re-housing the dogs currently in our care,” said Jackie Ratcliffe, Honorary Chairperson of K9 Friends.
The organisation had been vocal about their struggle to keep their shelter in Al Barsha, which they have occupied for the past six years. Ratcliffe said they already requested the Rent Committee to grant them an extension on their lease so they will have ample time to transfer its kennel.
“It’s physically impossible to move all our dogs within a short period of time and we are hopeful the Rent Committee will heed our request,” Ratcliffe said.
She added that there are people who are helping them to look for another place but so far the rent has been beyond their annual budget of Dh600,000, which they raise only through charity activities.
“It is from that amount where we get the payments for rent, utilities, veterinary expenses, medicine and dog food. Volunteers provide their services to the shelter for free,” Ratcliffe said.
She echoed the group’s need for a new place to lease or preferably a piece of land on which to build a purpose-built animal shelter.
Sources at the Dubai Municipality, however, said they cannot intervene on K9 Friends’ issue with its landlord.
“We cannot do anything in this connection. They should try and talk to their landlord or fix up a different place. Although the Municipality takes utmost care of the animals as shown by our recent move to prevent cruelty against them, this issue is a completely different matter. It is beyond our authority to provide accommodation or shelter,” said an official from the Dubai Municipality’s Public Health Department.
Considered as the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) flagship of animal welfare in the Middle East, K9 Friends has been existing in Dubai for the past 17 years and is the first animal shelter in the region.
Through its group of volunteers and small number of full-time staff, the group was able to help an estimated 10,000 stray and abandoned dogs by diligently neutering and re-homing them.
At the moment, Ratcliffe said they would welcome individuals or families who are interested to adopt K9 Friends dogs.
“Interested parties will still have to go through the usual interview process for us to be sure that the dogs will still be well taken care of when they leave the shelter,” she said.
Those who are ready and willing to adopt a dog may call K9 Friends at telephone number 04-3474611 from 9am until 1pm, or visit their web site at www.k9friends.com.
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