should we bring our dog to Doha?

Just the other day i was taking a walk next to the Fanar Tower down town doha, when suddenly an old woman with a swarm of dogs of all colors/ types/looks lol popped in my way outta no where!. I thought the dogs looked adoring but definitely was  a bit alarmed and worried when her hubby/bf  came along followin her with a latched half cow half i dunoo what dog! lool the thing was soo big i swear i wanted to pee my pants from panic!..so yeh i guess u can bring ur dogs to Qatar ^_*

Scared of a Great Dane? Sorry but thanks for the laugh! They are huge softies! Better to have pets rather than dealing with certain hypocrits... Warning: I have 3 cats, 1 dog and about to take on a parrot! And if you don't like animals - they live in my house and are part of my family - and you are NOT! Good night QL'ers :) To the OP: I took my Golden Retriever puppy for the first time to Wakrah Beach yesterday - no hassle. Drop me a pm if you want to meet up when your dog arrives and we go together :)

Does it matter if the OP posted her question both on QL and ILQ? I see many subjects being repeatedly posted by certain people on both Forums. I think that is nobodies' business and the OP is free to post the question wherever she wants without needing approval - or am I wrong?

To end up in a curry in the industrial area, bring it over!

Wow timebandit - are you stalking me!!  Yes, there were no replies when you sent your 1st message berating me for not checking ILQ!I have seen the responses there now, thanks

 those dogs my God so huge and skully... I can understand ur fear too...

gretna said "FAO: timebandit I don't know what you mean? I didn't get any responses to my post on ILQ??" As soon as I noticed this post I popped back to read what had been written on ILQ as I knew you had already requested help there. You posted on ILQ on July 19, 2011 10:01PM. The first response was July 19, 2011 10:48PM you posted this on QL Tue, 19/07/2011 - 9:54pm, so you are quite correct, at that time there had been no response. As people have taken the time to answer you, it may be worth taking a look to see what they had to say.

One of the main reasons we got a live in maid was for her to take care of our animals when we go on vacation.  She is there now watching the kitties and bunny as we are abroad for 3 months.  We are bringing our dog (German Shepherd/Border Collie) with us when we come back in September.   

We have no qualms about it.  Our compound is Western only and it seems that every other villa has a dog.  Our back yard isn't huge.  But it does have a garden and a big strip of grass for her to do her business.  A daily walk around the compound will be enough.

FAO: timebanditI don't know what you mean?  I didn't get any responses to my post on ILQ??

merrier! Lol!

The advise you got on ILQ wasn't good enough for you then?

Atmosphere place surroundings hardly matters to a dog.he needs u all the time.He wants to be with u only all the time.Bring him and pay him a bit more attention like gift him few more chewable toys and just go for alone walks in the ealry morning that's it.....

Dogs are allowed off lead at the beaches and out in the desert, though only if it isn't too busy with families  there.

There are dog-sitters and house-sitters available in Qatar. Look for Creature Comforts on facebook and speak to the lady who runs that pet sitting service if it will put your mind at rest :)

FAO: LincolnPirate:it is a concern, yes.  Unless you think its ok to leave dogs unattended for a couple days?  Or think that we should never be allowed to go on holiday?

late at night, 10 or11 pm.  Even sometimes past 12 if I go home late. 30 to 45 minutes brisk walking is also good for an old man like me. It's a doctor's advice for me and a vet's advice for my dog.

"we think he would have a happy life with us too!"And your greatest concern is if there are dog-sitters around? That's a funny way of living WITH someone.

Gretna - the key to your whole dilemma is the letting off the lead thing. I have never once seen anyone with their dog off the lead. Yes, someone may contradict me but if it were me and knowing what I know, I think it risky.

You may find that you could find somewhere to walk your dog and let him off the lead but it could still lead to trouble. It just takes someone to complain to the authorities about your dog and your dog could be taken away from you. There is a cultural fear of dogs here and the authorities are more likely to take the side of the non dog person.

The person I referred to in my previous comments who was challenged by the policeman had a very sweet spaniel and all he did was bark but this policemen either did not like or was afraid of dogs and threatened to take the dog away and yes they can do that here.

Hi guys - thanks so much for the responses - we really appreciate all the advice, both positive and negative.

We'll have to have a think about whats best for us, and for our dog.

In terms of accommodation - we shall be staying in my companys complex (pretty much all westerners) in a 3bed villa, with private yard (not huge, but enough for our dog to play around outside a bit).  We still need to be sure that there is somewhere - a beach, a park, anywhere really - nearby that we can let our dog off the lead and run around.

With the heat, i'm sure he won't need as much exercise as he gets currently - but he definitely needs a big run everyday.

If needs be, we'd get up at 5am to take him out.  I'll speak to people who live nearby, and see if they know of anywhere near the accomodation.  Also, we want to be certain that if we did take him, that there would be support available from dog sitters etc if we go on any trips.

It's SUCH a hard decision to make.  Selfishly for us, we want to have him there, but we need to know he'd be ok there.  Yes, he could have a great life staying in the UK (we have found a family who sound perfect, who say they could take him) - but if we can have somewhere to exercise him, and dog sitters available, we think he would have a happy life with us too!

As for exercise, you as the owner have to make a commitment to find a place to exercise the dog properly.  I take my dog in the car 10 - 15 minutes drive to a vacant area with few/no surrounding homes, at 5am so that she can get at least 40 - 60 minutes of stretching her legs, perhaps not going nuts, but getting some freedom.

In the afternoons, we are only out for about 20 - 30 minutes (I go where there are trees so there is some shade.

I take cold water, at this time of year semi frozen so it stays cool, and give it to her regularly.

If you can't see yourself doing this daily then you should rethink bringing puppy.  It's not easy.

pets and kids are exactly the same - wouldn't leave either and "train" them in the same manner.

I have a husky too and she actually likes to lie in the sun, even at 50 degrees - mad dog - but will come inside if she's too hot

Don't over think this. You will be surprised at how quickly your dog will adapt to the new situation:-)

Pets are not like children at all - I have both and there is a distinct difference!

I have to agree with Chelsea. We have an Alaskan Malamute, 1.5yrs old, and she copes with the heat, so any other dog should as well. During the summer the dogs prefer staying in house under the A/C, and even grow their thick winter coats. We take her out in and around the compound. Most residents in our compound is local or muslim, but we have had no problems. Just know that muslims are not allowed to touch dogs. All the kids in our compound come knocking on our door to come and play and just see the dog regularly. Walks in the summer goes down to about 20min instead of an hour. When we take her to the beach, we just put her on a 20meter leash, and she runs until she is tired. Never had any problems, even on busy days at Sealine. People are scared at first of the "wolf" on the beach, but then everyone wants pictures!

I would suggest that you look at villas or compounds for accomodation, as people in apartments dont really appreciate animals. They over react when seeing a dog...to the point of "Is she going to eat me?" lol.

Dogs become part of your family, and not items that fill the house. They are like your kids. Would you leave your kids with a good family and come? Dont think so :) Your dogs will adjust to the climate and everything else

Good luck

As long as you are respectful of the local culture then there won't be a problem with other people. We often get stopped when out with the dogs by people that want to have a look and ask questions - it's a novelty for some people.

The vets here are good, though like with any doctor, dentist or vet, everyone has different experiences and opinions so you would have to judge for yourself which one you prefer.

Nowhere is "far" from Doha. Wakra beach is great for dogs and is 10 minutes from the Airport. The Mangroves is another 15 minutes to the South and the Messaieed and the desert works out about 45 minutes away from Doha. Most dog owners are happy to walk their dogs around the compound/area twice a day and then take their dog to the beach once or twice a week (some people go everyday).

Dogs aren't allowed on the Corniche or in the public parks though which is fair enough in a culture like this one.

I have two male husky/malamutes who are high energy and not exactly designed for this heat but they cope amazingly well. We have a stand alone villa with a big garden for them and in the summer they mainly stay indoors in the a/c during the day. The majority of stand alone villas and most compounds are now dog friendly so finding accommodation is fairly easy. We have 5 large dogs and never had any problems.

As there will be no quarantine in the UK next year, returning home won't be a problem either :)

Also the OP mentions going for daily two-hour walks off the lead.  And that isn't going to happen in Doha.

Fair enough Xena

but it still does not get over the other issues, such as bringing a dog who struggles in the high 20'sC - how are they going to cope when it is regularly over 40?

As of 1 January 2012, the laws are no longer so heavy.

If you have your animal blood tested before you arrive and keep the rabies vaccination in date, you won't have a problem when returning to UK

If you have your animal blood tested here, they have to be in Qatar for 3 months from date of the blood test which is pretty basic and are then free to leave any time after that, straight into the UK. Just remember to keep your rabies vaccine within date.

Bring your dog. There are lots of places to walk them if you just look around and it isn't like it was 5 years ago. Locals are becoming slightly more tolerant.

F/Man, you took the words out of my mouth. If your dog is how you describe, I think he would struggle. If he were an older dog that was not so active and did not need exercising and could cope with heat, I might have said, bring him no problems. However, due to the extreme heat here for most of the year (only really 4 months of the year when it dips below 30 in the day time) you can only exercise at night and on the lead. Desert is not an option as it is nowhere near Doha. The standard of vets here is not good and very expensive. Our cat had numerous trips to vet to diagnose a problem which eneded up costing us over GBP1000 and good pet food here is expensive.

People might be children friendly but dog friendly they ain't. I have a neighbour who has been verbally abused for taking his dog onto the corniche. Even in our very western compound there are still the odd people who give another neighbour a hard time about her tiny dog.

My best recommendation is to think what his life would be like as I described above and then to think what a lovely home he could go to in the UK where he can do what he wants. (plus you also have to think how you would get him back, the UK still has stringent import laws on animals, I know I have that dilemma with my cat

We brought our Golden Retriever (2yo) and our English Springer Spaniel(8yo) out with us a year ago and they have adapted with no problems at all. We are lucky to have a large villa and a garden for them to run around in,as well as going for walks out and about. That has to be a consideration in this heat as it's too hot to go out during the main part of the day.They go in and out as they please,which is usually just for toilet purposes.We have a lady who dog and house sits for us when we return to UK for holidays. The vets that we use are very good and prices are equal,pretty much,to what we were paying back home. You know your dog best of all,so listen to heart and head before making the final decision! We have no regrets at all,and our dogs are clearly very happy being with us! Hope this helps a bit....lots of food for thought now!

I'm going to go against the grain and probably tell you what you don't want to hear.  DON'T bring your dog.  If it was a small house dog, I'd say go ahead.  But the climate is not suitable for an active dog.  Parks are limited, and they are generally NOT dog friendly.  This means walking largely on pavement and always on a lead.  Qatar is not a dog-friendly society, although locals do make some accommodation for expats.  There are some decent vets, but nothing like the choice in the UK or USA.  The classic neighborhood walk does not exist (difficult in terms of infrastructure and climate); and dogs are not welcomed at places they would be in the UK (i.e. public spaces).  Someone will invariably get on this thread and tell us how one day they took their dog to this particular park, but I am guessing that you require something more regular than that.We left our Welsh Springer behind with some great friends.  It was one of the hardest things I did, but bringing him with us would have been solely for my benefit, not his.  In retrospect, it was also one of the best decisions I made.

If ur dog  gives u NOC than it is ok......no problems.U should ask him first if he really want to remain with u.Do one thing hold his face in your palms and now look into his eyes..ask him U WANNA GO WITH US.. Now if his tail waves for a bit...U got an NOC and now buy a ticket for him imediately....I think every dog will wave his tail on this way...muaaah muaaaah...bring him here...and do let me know ur addres when u come here...I have 3 kids to play with him once a while...becoz my huby dont like dogs...cats ....fish...me....my kids.....his parents...his neighbours...etc...etc....

Bring the cute furry thing. Qatar's harmless. My friend brought her dog, when we came from Canada. And shes doing real good, no issues at all (:

I brought my dog with me and have had no regrets (Border Collie so I can relate to the activity level).  Heat has been an issue, but I take lots of cool, sometimes half frozen water and a sun shade to the beach - I go at 5 am which means it is cooler and we don't meet many other people.

It is also important for you to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't overexert himself and get overheated (difficult with a young dog).  Finding a space where he can run off leash can be difficult but doable if you're persistent and are willing to go in the early morning - practice those "come" on commands before you get here.

Another issue is housing, you have to find a place that will allow you to keep him - again, they are available but it is certainly best to find one before you arrive or as soon as possible - he won't be allowed to stay in any hotel.

As for care giving, I've been able to allow my cleaning lady to stay at my home when I go on vacation, she gets the place to herself free of charge plus a daily monetary payment,  doggie gets to stay home with someone he's familiar with.  Again, you will have to make sure this is an option for you. 

HTH

Bring your dog.

You don't mention what breed he his but there are hundreds of expat dog owners here and our dogs all cope. Yes it gets hot in the summer but walking early morning and late night is fine and generally their energy levels drop in the summer as well.

Dogs are allowed on most beaches though it's advisable to take them when their not too busy. There is a beach known as the Mangroves, and although it's a bit of a drive, it's beautiful there and has plenty of space for dogs to run and sniff all the trees! You're almost guarenteed to run into other dog owners whilst you're there.

There are several dog-sitters for when you go on vacation and you can always do a  deal with another dog owner that you look after each others dogs when you're on vacation :)

If you have any questions about owning dogs in Qatar - post messages on the Dogs in Doha and Qatar Animal Welfare Society facebook pages. You're not the first person to question whether bringing your dog over is a good idea or not but no-one I know that has brought their pet over has regretted it.

Hope that helps!!