Dubai opens new Animal Welfare Shelter to promote pet adoption

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has opened the Animal Welfare Shelter, a new integrated pet shelter at the Birds and Pets Market in the Warsan area, expanding the emirate's veterinary services while promoting animal welfare, responsible pet ownership and adoption.

The project is designed to provide a safe and humane environment for stray and abandoned animals, encourage responsible adoption and reduce the number of animals living on the streets. It offers integrated care based on internationally recognised veterinary and animal welfare standards, including rehabilitation programmes to prepare animals for adoption into suitable homes where they can live safely and healthily.

The initiative also supports the objectives of Dubai's Steering Committee for Preserving the Emirate's Urban Appearance by promoting humane treatment of animals, responsible civic behaviour and sustainable practices that enhance quality of life for residents and visitors while reinforcing Dubai's reputation as one of the world's most liveable cities.

As part of the project, Dubai Municipality signed cooperation agreements with Vets for Pets Veterinary Clinic and Phoenix Veterinary Clinic to strengthen animal health and welfare services. The partnerships aim to establish a humanitarian model for animal care that combines scientific best practices, digital innovation, and the values of compassion rooted in Emirati heritage and Islamic teachings.

The agreements provide a framework for treating stray and abandoned pets suffering from injuries or serious illnesses, helping stabilise their condition and rehabilitate them. They also cover humane management programmes for community animals, public awareness campaigns on responsible pet ownership, and knowledge-sharing initiatives involving government entities, academic institutions, veterinary specialists, businesses and community organisations.

Coinciding with the shelter's opening, Dubai Municipality also launched a dedicated online platform to streamline pet adoption, allowing prospective adopters to view available animals and access information on their health and behavioural status before making an adoption decision.

The shelter features a range of facilities built to international animal welfare standards, including a customer service centre, a dedicated pre-adoption viewing area, interactive adoption rooms where visitors can meet their prospective pets, a fully equipped veterinary clinic, an advanced surgical theatre, a grooming unit, and a reception and rehabilitation centre for stray and abandoned animals.

The facility also includes a centre for reuniting lost pets with their owners after verifying identification details, supporting the municipality's broader efforts to manage stray and abandoned animals.

Dr Naseem Mohammed Rafie, Acting CEO of the Environment, Health and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality, said the new shelter represented another step in strengthening the emirate's public health and veterinary services.

"The shelter supports the One Health concept by promoting the balance between human, animal and environmental health, while reinforcing animal welfare principles, responsible pet adoption and care as part of the community's culture," she said.

Dubai Municipality said it follows a scientific and humane approach to managing stray and abandoned animals by providing essential care and implementing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and, where appropriate, Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) programmes, under which stray cats are trapped, sterilised, vaccinated and returned to their original locations when they pose no risk to public safety.

The municipality encouraged residents to make use of the shelter's services and help promote pet adoption, giving animals the opportunity to live in safe and responsible family homes. It noted that the initiative builds on its earlier launch this year of the region's first AI-powered "Ihsan" feeding stations for stray and abandoned animals, part of wider efforts to promote compassion, animal welfare and environmental sustainability across Dubai.