Meet the Pawrents

I had a fair idea of pet parenting before the term became a part of modern-day vocab. Ever since I attained consciousness, I was witness to my grandmother being a ‘parent’ to her dog Poppy. She was a sort of single parent since my grandfather couldn’t figure out what the fuss was all about. Poppy was a pampered child, clearly the favourite of the four she mothered (the other three, my dad and my two uncles, were the semi-neglected human ones). He wouldn’t eat unless she fed him chunks of boiled meat and liver mixed in rice by hand; he would sulk in a corner if she was late in administering him his meals, and then turn his face away when she tried to make amends… it was only after she baby talked for a good 10 minutes, lapsing into torrents of endearments, that he would relent.

Whenever my grandparents travelled, Poppy would accompany them; my grandfather would roll his eyes, but gave in every single time to his wife’s demand. There was one time when they went on a weeklong cruise and couldn’t take Poppy along. For those seven days, my grandmother fretted endlessly, and it turned out to be a nightmare of a vacation. When they returned, Poppy — who has been left in the care of the extended family — was a wreck. He had barely eaten, hadn’t wagged his tail even once, and used to sit for hours on end near the main door, waiting for it to open and my grandmother to walk in.

Poppy lived for 17 years, never leaving my grandmother’s side (except for those seven days of the cruise), and when he moved on to the happy hunting grounds — sometime in the 1980s — my grandmother was inconsolable, and told everyone who came to pay their condolences that “I’ve lost my youngest son.”

My grandmother and her ‘son’ Poppy were foremost on my mind when I worked on this story. But I also remembered Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed — who, earlier this year, adopted Grace, a rescue dog who had been badly injured and then abandoned by her original human family. A video where he tells her, “Hello Grace, you’re in safe hands now and I guarantee you will be happier” went viral and won over millions of hearts. Dubai’s Crown Prince sent out a strong message that day: a pet is a family member.

Claude Al Hachache

“I never planned to be a pet parent in Dubai... as you know, we work hard and are almost never home. But Gigi, my Maltese, was what they call an ‘oops child’ in human terms: I saw her and fell in love with her. Six years ago, seeing her struggling in a tiny glass window broke my heart, and I bought her. I got judged by many for ‘buying’ a dog when I could have adopted one, but I strongly believe, that day, I saved Gigi from being someone’s toy... Today, she is my whole world, I never thought I could love anyone the way I love her. I adopted Shadow, my cat, a year after getting Gigi… My other cats, my ‘little ones’, the 1-year-old ones — Magic and Stormy [siblings] — are also adopted.

There is a huge difference between loving pets as a family member and having them for a selfish reason — which is why so many people leave pets behind when they relocate from Dubai. There can be no excuses for those who do that saying they couldn’t afford them or will have no space for them back in their home country. I don’t see them leaving a child behind — so why leave your pet? Having a pet is a commitment for as long as they live — which I’m hoping is for a very long time.

My pets completely changed my life, taught me to be patient, to spend more time at home and to work less… For instance, I used to be a workaholic, but Gigi got me out every day for her walks no matter how tired or stressed I was. When I come home, seeing how happy they are to see me makes me forget all my tiredness. My circle of friends and activities changed, as I needed to find friends with similar interests... and those who have pets. I take Gigi to the doggy park or for play dates with her friends — but she needs to come back home to sleep!

When I’m walking Gigi, sometimes people say we look the same — especially the hair! We actually do look alike… and if they say sorry thinking they may have offended me, I tell them that I’m actually honoured to look like a pure soul such as her. I think pets and their parents tend to look and behave the same!”

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Rebecca Rees

“Between myself and my partner Paul, we have four Salukis. I have two beautiful Saluki mixes: Sam is a Saluki crossed with a German Shepherd and Ella is a Saluki-Dalmatian mix — although she doesn’t have any spots! Sam is 16, and still going strong. Ella is 12, and a lazy girl these days! Paul has Namr, which means tiger in Arabic [Namr is striped]. His other dog — currently a foster — is called Johara, meaning ‘jewel’.

My dogs are my babies, and their wellbeing is central to my world. Owning pets is a big responsibility, and cannot be taken lightly: one needs to dedicate time and energy, and, of course, have the financial means to support them — food, vet’s appointments, boarding costs when you’re away… they all add up.

I grew up with dogs — since I was four. I had been in Dubai for four years before I got Sam. Initially, I ‘borrowed’ him from K9 Friends for the weekend back in 2010… I was going through a bit of a rough patch emotionally, and wanted to do something to lift my spirit and help an animal in need. I got Sam home… and he never went back to K9. A week later, I signed adoption papers and he was mine forever.

Being a Saluki, he needed to run, so a year down the line, I rented a villa at Jumeirah Village Triangle, where the gardens are huge. Not long after, I got a call from a dog rescue organisation asking if I wanted a friend for Sam. It had never crossed my mind to get a second, but when I met Amira (meaning ‘princess’), as she was then called, I couldn’t say no. I took her home to make sure she and Sam got along — and it was as if they had been partners in crime forever. Two days later, more adoption papers were signed and I renamed her Ella.

A few days after that, I realised I had dogs called Sam ‘n’ Ella — so I tend to say Ella and Sam to avoid any food poisoning connotations! I’ve now had the two of them for 12 years.

My personal view is that a pet is for life. I cannot imagine giving mine up… However, I understand that everybody’s circumstances are different and if giving a dog up is in the animal’s best interest, then I would rather an owner did so… no point keeping a pet they will not care for... so give it to someone who can. That being said, it should be a last resort.

My dogs celebrate any occasion going! I will dress them up in UAE colours for National Day, and for the Queen’s Jubilee they were decked out in red, white and blue. With the World Cup on the way, the England scarves will come out too.

On their birthdays, they get liver cake. Sounds horrible but they adore it — and will do absolutely anything for a piece. And at Christmas, they have their own stockings full of goodies.

I think some people secretly think I’m a bit mad. I had bunkbeds custom-made for Ella and Sam when they were younger — and subsequently had steps made so that Ella could easily reach the top bunk without having to jump up or down. They also have their own sofas in my lounge: they each have a two-seater Ikea sofa that matches my three-seater human one.

No matter how bad one’s day gets, a dog will always be there with a warm welcome, with no judgement... just pure love and adoration.”

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Joumana Saoud