Dogs at the farm wait for their turn to socialise and be walked by volunteers.
By Evette Quadros and Godfrey Anthony
One cannot ignore the sight of cats and dogs during the brutal months of summer, palpitating and in need of help on the streets of Qatar. This has further worsened with the increasing number of abandoned pets and strays. There is very little that an animal lover can do besides approaching one of the animal rescue organisations.
The 2nd Chance Rescue centre is one such organisation. Founded by Qatari national Abdullah al-Naemi in 2009, 2nd Chance takes in abused, abandoned and stray animals and also raises awareness on the issue of animal welfare in Qatar.
What started off with rescuing eight puppies and re-homing them, the facility, set in a farm on the way to Shamal, at present shelters over a hundred animals. When asked about the inspiration behind setting up 2nd Chance, al-Naemi said it was his love for animals that made him establish such a centre. “As long as I work with these animals, I’m very happy about myself. I feel proud, I feel like I have achieved something. Ever since I picked up a cause that I really cared about, it made me feel good. It changed my life completely,” he said.
Al-Naemi spoke about the upcoming Dog Adoption Day that is to be held at the premises of Pampered Pets Kennels and Cattery on March 22. This is the first time that 2nd Chance Rescue has joined hands with Dogs in Doha to conduct a dog adoption day.
Leigh Bowers from Pampered Pets said “this event is for people who are interested in coming and meeting our dogs, petting and walking them. It’s going to be a fun day; there will be fun activities for kids and adults. If anyone is interested then the adoption process can also be started. There will be food and entertainment for the families on this day.”
When asked how conducting such programmes help the cause, al-Naemi said “It helps a lot, both to create awareness and to raise funds. It helps our dogs to socialise. Every riyal counts.” Funds at present are being raised to help build a better facility at 2nd Chance Rescue.
It was no easy task setting up the facility, said al-Naemi. It took a lot of hard work, dedication, funds and support of people who shared the same interest. “Before I opened the clinic I was constantly broke. I had no money; I used to spend it all on the dogs. I couldn’t shop, eat out, couldn’t fix my car. If I found out that a dog was really sick or got hit by a car, it would cost a couple of thousand riyals’ worth of treatment. I was at that point on family allowance.”
Criticism was a close friend of Abdullah’s at the beginning. “Everyone kept criticising me for what I was doing. My parents thought I was just wasting all my money, while my friends said I was taking my hobby too seriously.”
When asked what such a cause needs most in Qatar, he replied government support. He suggests that the government should do more to improve the situation of animals in Qatar. Stray animals roaming on the streets don’t look good for the image of the country, he feels.
Al-Naemi stressed on how educating people through such awareness campaigns is the best way in striving to achieve an improved status of animals in Qatar. School children should be taught about how animals need to be treated with care and love, and keeping this in mind, school visits are undertaken to help educate the younger generation on animal welfare.
Abdullah al-Naemi also runs the Park View Pet Center, for which he is grateful to his mother’s support. “At the beginning, not many people knew [about 2nd Chance] so I couldn’t get dogs adopted. When my mother saw me buying cheap medicines and vaccines from abroad, she said why don’t you open up a veterinary practice to support your shelter?”
At the Park View Pet Center, you can find various services for your pets like medical facilities, grooming, accessories and much more. Pets can also be adopted here by interested parties on paying a small adoption fee, which then goes back to helping the shelter meet its various demands.
The fee covers micro-chipping, full vaccination, deworming, and neutering. Al-Naemi said it’s not about the cost. “People who don’t want to pay the adoption fee will end up not taking the dogs/cats back home. If they are too miserly to pay this amount, what will happen if they have to pay QR3,000-4,000 when they have to move back to their country?” wonders the young man.
The amount differs for dogs and cats.
Follow-ups are also conducted to make sure the adopted animals are in the right hands and are taken care of. He stressed on how people who want to get a pet into their home should go in for adoption rather than buying them from Doha’s various pet shops or Souq Waqif.
Considering the summer months are fast approaching, when asked what the various arrangements are made at the farm, he said, “we move the dogs that can handle heat to outside enclosures. The ones that have really thick fur are kept inside, in the rooms”. He ensures that the cages that hold the dogs are shaded from the harsh sunlight.
Water is also provided on a continuous basis to make sure that the animals remain hydrated.
To Abdullah al-Naemi, abandoning a pet is not an option. Pet owners who are travelling should drop their pets in at the various boarding facilities that have been set up in Qatar. The main reason for the increase in the number of strays in Qatar is due to people abandoning their pets when they have to leave the country.
Stray animals can be a threat to the people walking on the streets. If due to financial constraints they find it expensive to pay the necessary charges in order to fly their pets back to their home countries, al-Naemi suggests pet owners should approach organisations that help in finding a foster home in Qatar.
• The 2nd Chance Rescue centre is open to the public on weekends after 2pm. Contact Park View Pet Center on 44171560. To reach 2nd Chance, drive on the Shamal road from D-Ring Road. Drive 20km straight down from the Landmark mall and take the Exit no. 24 labelled ‘Umm Al Amad’ interchange.
