Buying a pet within the UAE pretty much limits you to two sources: adopting a shelter dog or buying a puppy from a pet store. Shelters are plentiful in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai and are great places to find dogs and puppies that were brought in from the streets or abandoned by previous owners. Strays of Abu Dhabi and Friends of Animals DXB are two of my favorite humane organizations.
I would never buy a dog from a pet store. I visited several pet stores in Dubai and saw some very miserable looking dogs sitting in cages in their own excretion. The pet store employees claim that their puppies come from the breeders, typically from Hungary and South Africa. A responsible breeder would never sell their puppies to a pet store!
Alternatively, you can buy a puppy from a reputable breeder, but as of yet there are no serious dog breeders in the UAE. I contacted several breeders around the world to seek their opinion. As it turns out, many professional breeders are experienced in shipping their puppies internationally, after quiet a bit of detective work to find out if you would be a good parent. Serious breeders usually have litters for the sake of raising show winners, thus they strive to produce the healthiest, best-looking dogs they can. Breeders sell their show dogs to other show homes or for breeding purposes, but whenever a dog does not meet the show requirements, typically because it’s smaller than the standard or has a different occlusion, it is sold as a pet.
We chose several breeders from Europe, Russia, and Southeast Asia based on their kennel’s reputation and distance from the UAE. Be aware that some breeders do not want to vaccinate or microchip their dogs because of health issues these may cause, so they may decline the sale. Also, the UAE requires that all pets enter the country in the cargo compartment of the plane. Mentioning this in my email to breeders also eliminated some of the more favorable options :(
The UAE pet import law is stricter than in most countries and requires the following to bring your dog into the country:
- The dog must be older than 4 months old. Although when we visited the Dubai pet stores, they advertised some puppies to be 3 months old…
- Arriving strictly in the cargo of the plane (this would set you back anywhere from $300-$1500)
- Rabies and Combo vaccines
- Microchip or tattoo
- Pet import permit. Can be requested online through the Ministry of Environment & Water website and usually takes 2-3 days to process. The Ministry requires that you email a copy of vaccines and official health certificate to them
- Certain countries require a rabies test
When you pick up your dog from the cargo area at the Abu Dhabi airport (terminal 2), you will be asked to pay around aed300 in fees and additional aed400 for the animal. A veterinary doctor will inspect the paperwork and the animal, after which you will be allowed to take your dog home.
LEAVING UAE WITH YOUR DOG
Several airlines, including KLM and Lufthansa, allow small dogs to travel out of the UAE as excess luggage, which lets you save a lot of money. You'll need a health certificate to export and a re-entry permit if you are planning to come back to UAE later. Easy breezy!
