THE decision to prohibit the sale of pet cats and dogs, after some Saudi youths were seen walking their dogs in public areas designated for families, has met with mixed reactions. The prohibition went into effect on Wednesday in Riyadh, and authorities in the city said they will strictly enforce it this time, unlike previous such bans that failed to stop sales, according to the Arabic press. “We don't know exactly what is the reason behind this, but it is an emotionally charged issue because I don't know where my two dogs would go now,” said Suha Al-Nafae from Al-Nuzha district. She also wondered about the logistics of completely banning household pets, since there were many people with pet dogs and cats. “If we are not allowed to take our pets to the walk, it is okay, but if the ban is also on buying and its selling, then it means we can't keep the pets with us,” said Mohammad Azzam, who has two dogs in his villa for security purposes. A pet owner (name withheld) in a shopping district said that his sales had decreased due to this order since four days. “But at the same time, we didn't find any of our previous customers to come to us and say that they are going to leave their pets somewhere.” According to him, customers are still coming for pet food and other essentials. On a daily basis, they used to sell between 15 to 20 pets, but now the number has come down, he said while declining to mention the exact number. Saudi businesswoman, Afrah King, who has many cats said, “We keep our pets at home and no one in our surroundings is disturbed by them.” She said that she had spent a lot of time and money in acquiring and taking car of her pets, besides loving them like members of her family, and it wouldn't be easy to give them up. Umm Khalid, an Egyptian expatriate, expressed happiness that people walking their dogs in the park where she takes her children to play in the evenings, is now a thing of the past. She said her children were terrified of some of the more ferocious breeds and dog owners sometimes let go of the dog's leash, increasing the chances of a mishap. On an average, pet dogs account for 31 deaths per year in the US, with the Pit Bull variety by far being the largest killer of humans, followed by Rottweiler's and Husky's. Dozens of different breeds like Basset Hounds, Beagles, Dachshunds, Labradors, and even Golden retrievers have killed humans. __
