Dh10,000 reward offered for dog missing in Dubai for over 100 days

Dubai: A rescue dog that went missing over 100 days ago has been spotted in Dubai’s Al Rigga area, reigniting hopes of a reunion with her family now living in Singapore.

Elsy is a two-year-old desert mix white dog with brown coat markings and freckles on the nose and legs. She was last seen in a sandy area behind Al Ghurair Centre this week, marking the latest “concrete sighting” since she escaped from a pet relocation company's vehicle on October 13.

A Dh10,000 reward is being offered for the safe return of Elsy by volunteers with an Abu Dhabi-based rescue group, RAD Paws Up for Pets.

Tracey Hughes, founder of the group, and a Gulf News reader, on Sunday told this newspaper that Elsy was being transported for final export checks when she bolted from the vehicle in Al Rigga after not being properly secured.

Hughes said Elsy was just days away from flying to Singapore to reunite with her adoptive family, a Canadian couple and their three young boys who had relocated from Abu Dhabi earlier.

Elsy had been adopted by them from RAD Paws Up for Pets in May 2024. Rescued at eight weeks old with a broken leg, she had bonded closely with the family's three children for 15 months before she went missing. Her relocation had been delayed due to the lengthy procedures.

“The only positive news now is the fact that we did have a sighting of her this week,” said Hughes, who has been coordinating the search.

 “We had several sightings [reported] earlier on in the first six weeks and then nothing concrete until four nights ago. This time, she was spotted behind the Al Ghurair Centre at around midnight,” she explained.

The latest sighting has galvanised the small team of five core volunteers who have been searching twice weekly, travelling 2.5 hours from Abu Dhabi to comb the maze-like streets of Al Rigga and Deira.

“She's a very clever girl. She's staying off the main strips, clearly, and kind of just looking for food in quieter areas, which makes it very difficult for us to locate on her,” Hughes explained.

The search has been complicated from the start. The relocation company failed to inform Elsy's owner, Andrew, for two days after she went missing.

“The most important time when any animal goes missing is the first 12 to 24 hours,” Hughes said.

“At that point, dogs and cats will stay where they've been lost because they don't know the area. But after that, they panic and they start looking around when they are hungry,” she pointed out.

The relocation company, which was initially cooperative in the search for Elsy, stopped looking for her after a couple of weeks, leaving the entire mission to Tracey’s team.

The reward started at Dh5,000 on day one and was increased to Dh10,000 about six weeks ago. It is funded entirely by volunteers and rescuers involved in the search. The owner has pledged to match the amount if needed.

What began as a search party of 56 volunteers has dwindled to a dedicated core team of five, plus one Dubai-based volunteer who searches several evenings each week in Al Rigga.

“We were desperately trying to get her back for Christmas. The longer she is out there, the harder it is for her, more than anything. She is a dog that's never been in the streets,” Hughes said.

Dubai Municipality has been notified of Elsy's case, and pest control teams in the area have been provided with her photo. The shopkeepers at the Night Market in Al Rigga have kindly put up the flyers on their premises, said Hughes.

After over 100 days on the streets during what has become an unusually cold winter in the UAE, the recent sighting offers renewed hope, said Hughes.

She pointed out that Elsy is easily identifiable as dogs are rarely seen roaming in the Al Rigga and Deira areas compared to cats. Elsy is described as a medium-sized dog, quite shy by nature.

“If you are an animal person, you would actually go, 'Oh my gosh, there's a dog.' It's unusual,” she said.

The rescue team urges anyone who spots Elsy not to chase her, but to immediately contact them so volunteers can quickly reach the area.

“At the end of the day, the focus is finding this little girl and making sure she's safe and it doesn't happen again. We will not give up. It would be great if residents and authorities can help us by also checking the CCTV cameras in the area," she added.

Anyone with solid information about Elsy can contact 0521411741.

Elsy’s story emerged days after Gulf News reported on Lando, a cat missing from Dubai Land Residence Complex, with a Dh3,000 reward announced for people who help find him. The status quo remains unchanged in Lando's case.