Ras Al Khaimah
Marquez, our 11-month-old Chihuahua, went missing on October 19, 2017 at around 7.30am. Each morning, my husband and I drive to a desert area in Ras Al Khaimah, which is a five-minute drive from our home in Al Dhait South, Ras Al Khaimah. We walk Marquez and his other canine brothers and sisters in this area for about 20 minutes, as they love to run around and get their regular exercise.
We are very cautious with Marquez, as he is such a small dog. He is either carried in my arms or walking on his leash. On this particular day, we had just come to the end of the walk and gotten back to the car. The dogs’ leashes were then removed and they were just about to be put into the car when in the very distance there was a loud bang. I think it was a quad bike back firing and Marquez bolted.
He ran so fast, I could not keep up with him. He ran into the direction of a road and was then frightened even more by a car whose driver insisted on sounding the horn. He than ran under a fence into a large deserted area. I managed to slide under the fence, but by then he was nowhere to be seen.
My husband and I searched for him through the day. I gave his picture and my contact number to the camel keeper who stays in that area. Residents kindly drove through the area, helping me to look and friends arranged search parties. I searched for 2 weeks, but he wasn’t found.
During this time I placed his crate, along with water and some items of my clothing in the area he went missing, in the hope that I would find him. I also visited Ras Al Khaimah Animal Welfare Centre and rented two traps to try and lure him, but again was not successful.
Flyers were made and distributed throughout the area, local veterinarians were informed and shared his details through social media. We visited the Sharjah Animal Market to see if he had been sold, but we have not had a single positive sighting of Marquez since he went missing.
I believe that he may have possibly been picked up by someone who maybe believes he was a dumped pet or thinks he had no home.
Marquez is an extremely friendly dog. He has been well socialised since he became a part of our family at just 10 weeks old. He is a male Chihuahua, is very small and weighs just under two kilograms. He is brown in colour with a white chest. He has a small brown nose and brown eyes. His tail is darker in colour than his body and has long fur. He was wearing an orange harness on the day he went missing. Unfortunately he is not yet microchipped.
I am praying for Marquez to be returned to his family before Christmas. If you spot him, please get in touch with me at bodyzonealhamra@gmail.com. He could also be surrendered to the Ras Al Khaimah Animal Welfare Centre. If you contact them, they will even collect him. This has been the most heartbreaking time for our family.
— The reader is a business owner based in Ras Al Khaimah.
