[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Seven abandoned dogs picked up from vet clinic in 24 hours" ids="13518,13521,13519,13520"] Dona Paranayil WHETHER they are pets, wild animals, abandoned or stray dogs, all of them need attention, care and support. Last week, Open Paws Jeddah, a group of volunteers who rescue and re-home abandoned and stray dogs, posted on their Facebook page that the Jeddah Veterinary Clinic will close temporarily on Nov. 14 and seven dogs kept there needed help before the clinic's closure. "The response was fantastic," said Dr. Ryno Verster, a South African veterinarian at the clinic who was in charge of the dogs. "Because of limited time, we had to give away the dogs, so we gave them to whoever came first," he said. He added that all the breeds were taken quickly the day after the post was shared. However, shocking news spread on Instagram that two German Shepherds adopted from the clinic were immediately sold out for SR5,000 and SR6,000. Many animal lovers were heartbroken by the news. Carmel Heydon, the coordinator of Open Paws Jeddah said, "In the past, Jeddah Veterinary Clinic has been helpful with our rescues as they all needed to be vaccinated, health-checked and neutered. It was in this spirit that we advertised the seven abandoned dogs, paying for the males to be neutered and offering to investigate the possibility of sending three German Shepherds to a facility in the US that trains these dogs as companion dogs." Is it the veterinary clinic or society who do not care for animals to be blamed for this profiteering? A vet clinic needs to ensure information of owners who are ready to adopt abandoned animals, and simultaneously, it is the right of these animals to be treated kindly by society. Hisham Nazer, a Saudi graduate from the US, and his sister Lana Nazer, too had seen the advertisement and hoped to adopt a dog following the death of their previous pet. Their dog died of cancer. Hisham said, "I see a lot of difference between the vet clinics in the US and in the Kingdom. Here, it's primarily about running a business, making profits and not really taking into account the animals' welfare." Lana, who previously worked in the US, agreed and pointed out, "The facilities at Jeddah Veterinary Clinic must be improved. Our dog, Skip, was six years old when we got him here for urgent care and we noticed the clinic was floppy, even more than today." People are hoping that, with the re-opening of the clinic in a new location in Jeddah next year, facilities and treatments provided to animals would be better. In the meantime, they are also worried about the future of the animals left in the clinic. Lana said, "If you look outside here in the clinic, you can see geese, hens and rabbits living in dirt. I wonder what would happen to them when the clinic shuts." Dr. Ryno confirmed that the owners would take away the animals left at the clinic. He said, "We will phone the owners and they will be coming to fetch their pets." All sorts of animals, for example, South African grey parrots, cheetahs, lions, dogs, cats and iguanas are treated in the clinic. The clinic provides generalized preventative care to the animals. If there are more dogs left in the clinic, Open Paws Jeddah is ready to help them find homes. The group was formed in 2012 in Jeddah with 10 nationalities of all ages that do their best to help abandoned and stray dogs. Heydon said, "Open Paws Jeddah does not sell dogs. We put them up for adoption and work hard to find the best fit. We ask them to complete a questionnaire, we do home visits, and we check their interaction with the dog. It doesn't always work, but we keep trying until it does. And when it does, it is so worth it." Hisham called for a more humane treatment to animals. He said, "I have seen people throwing dogs off the roof and cars dragging dogs down the street. And I feel there's just a complete disconnect between people and the environment." Lana said, "There's lot of abuse, torture and mistreatment of animals, and it's not humane. People here treat animals like accessories...if you can't provide an animal with a healthy environment, then you are not qualified to take care of them." Being kind to animals is being forgotten. The pet owners must be responsible for their pets, the vet clinics must provide better facilities while rescue communities are doing a good job, and society must never be rude to animals. Dr. Ryno said, "People should provide them with good nutrition, correct food, vaccinations, deworming, tick wash –– everything you can do to prevent diseases because once they have a disease, it's too late; it's very difficult to get them better."
