NEWS
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Photo courtesy of OmniTerra Images
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EVENTS
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Shelter Dogs in Kuwait (back to News)
Dog overpopulation is a diminishing problem in certain areas of the U.S., including the northeast. Many northeastern shelters actually import dogs and puppies from other regions of the U.S. where stray dogs and unwanted litters of puppies are still common. Presumably, our message of “spay and neuter your pet” has worked so effectively in the northeast that the majority of dogs now entering northeastern shelters are those that are unwanted in their homes due to severe behavior problems. Gone are the days of the homeless street dog: sweet, social, easy-going and desperate for help. Not so in other areas of the world.
| In April of 2008, I had the opportunity to visit Kuwait, where an amazing animal shelter is fighting to find homes for unwanted and homeless dogs. The Animal Friends League of Kuwait was founded and is run by former New Hampshire resident, Ayeshah al-Humaidhi. Many of the dogs that she takes into her shelter are strays found out in the desert; they are thin, dehydrated, exhausted and in need of medical care. Some were once part of stray packs displaced by encroaching housing developments, some have been treated inhumanely and some have never interacted with people at all. These dogs enter the Animal Friends shelter from circumstances than most in the northeastern U.S. just cannot imagine. |
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Entrance to the Animal Friends League of Kuwait shelter
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A Saluki rescued from the desert near the Kuwait-Iraq border.
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Incredibly, many of these dogs are the most social dogs I have seen. They greet people with loose, wagging bodies, lowered heads and submissive grins. They gently climb into your lap and deferentially lick the corners of your mouth, and they never seem to tire of human companionship. If shelters in the northeast had dogs with temperaments like so many of the Kuwaiti dogs, we wouldn’t need to import dogs from out of the area to fulfill the needs of our adopting public.
The Animal Friends League of Kuwait has the exact opposite problem to shelters of the northeastern U.S.; they have too many wonderful dogs and not enough interested adopters. Dogs and cats are not valued as family members in Kuwait to the degree that they are in the U.S. Formal dog trainers are rare and places to adequately exercise dogs even more so. And since most dogs aren’t neutered or spayed the problem that Ayeshah and her staff battle on a daily basis will be on-going for the foreseeable future. |
Sending the dogs to the U.S. and Canada from Kuwait is one of Animal Friends’ new programs to help find homes for more of these amazing dogs. Dogs make the plane ride to New England or to Canada and are then sent to one of several participating shelters or rescue groups (Bangor Humane Society, ME; Wyndam County Humane Society, VT; Saluki Tree of Life Alliance; Doberman Rescue Unlimited; Glen Highland Border Collie Rescue). Ayeshah hopes to see the list of participating shelters grow and for more of her dogs to find permanent homes. Meanwhile, back in Kuwait, she pursues the spay and neuter message, continues to take in and care for any unwanted or homeless animal and lives by the message she wishes others to take from her-that dogs are part of the family and should be treated with respect and care.
If you are interested in adopting a Kuwaiti dog from the Animal Friends League or are interested in donating to their efforts, please go to: www.animalfriendskuwait.org.
2008 Agility Season a Great Success (back to News)
Our first season instructing agility at our Canaan, NH location was a huge success. We’ve received great feedback from our students and are looking forward to expanding and improving our offerings for the 2009 outdoor season.
Especially successful were both of our free, agility open houses. The open houses were held on Saturday mornings and allowed new students to come meet us, try the equipment and decide if agility classes were right for them and their dogs. They also helped us properly choose the right agility class for continuing students to attend. What a great way to spend a weekend morning for handlers, dogs and trainers alike! We even had members of the public join us just for the fun of watching dogs do agility. |
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