I think your experience was a very rare one. There's thousands of pet owners in Qatar and very very few problems as long as you respect the culture.

Occasionally there might be a problem with neighbours not liking your dog if you keep them in the garden and they bark at night or run loose around the compound which are valid complaints that even I would make. As long as owners are respectful then it's well within your right to have a dog as a pet and if they don't like it they can move house!

:: A pet is for life and not just for Christmas ::

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