PAWS are a group made up of part-time local and expat volunteers who are committed to protecting animal welfare in Kuwait. Recently they got a notice from their land owner to vacate their shelter in Kebed and they now desperately need financial help to move and set up a new shelter. They currently have over 100 dogs and 80 cats which need a new home. For more details on the situation as well as information on how you can help visit their website [Here]
25 replies on “PAWS Needs Help”
500 kd monthly from me
Good on you. That’s more than my rent. You will get Karma points for that. š
It’s amazing how much people will donate for animals in Kuwait but not give a shit about a labourer or a maid who doesn’t get paid or often – fed.
I applaud the work PAWS does but don’t we all feel so much better when the object of our charity is cute and doesn’t have the brains to compete with us as equals.
+1
The dog doesn’t have the option of getting on a plane and going home.
Rather like a lot of the foreign workers.
nether do they.
damn straight
You’re probably right.
I can’t figure how the logistics of that would work. Do you mean set up a shelter for them and convince their human masters to let them go? Or do you mean sneak the money in to them? Or do you mean hire lawyers so they fight their human masters. Oh wait, first we’ll need to conduct the exercise of who is underpaid or fed. And then do we escort them to the airport just in case they take the money and decide to run?
Serious question…
They keep collecting more and more animals. Then what?
This is not how its being dealt with stray and homeless animals.
I know alot of people who have adopted dogs from PAWS but you are right, the numbers adopted probably do not really address the issue. Packs of feral dogs roaming the streets are not in anyone’s interest.
Many of them need to be put to sleep.
Thank you for posting this Mark. Perhaps you can post a direct paypal link for people to donate? (if it’s possible).
I’ve donated KD50. I really would donate more if I could. I STRONGLY urge everyone to donate whatever you can. Every Dinar counts.
@darjeeling: that’s a worldwide phenomenon. people in the states especially have a huge weakness for animals but when it comes to their fellow man, not so much. it’s why you almost never see a dog or a cat killed onscreen in movies/tv-shows.
I’ve never thought PAWS would last. It needs to be supported by the government, financially and legally.
Otherwise they’re going to get evicted over and over due to locals who complain because they can’t stand the constant barking/smell that animal shelters are known for.
As others have said, they’re going to adopt animals (mostly cute ones because humans are selfish despite their grand gestures of kindness) and then what? There is a very small demand for pets in Kuwait and especially so for ones picked up from the street/former owners.
Speaking from experience, having a dog in Kuwait is a terrible idea due to the hot weather, Arab disdain for most creatures, and because it is Makrooh (frowned upon) in Islam (perhaps in some ways it might even be Haa’ram) to keep a dog in the home.
If anything, PAWS should be pushing ad campaigns to discourage people from wanting to buy dogs and to shut down the Friday Market or to making it less of a butcher shop.
Maybe thats why its Makrooh or haraam to have them in first place!! I think if they remind people of the religious point of view then it might be easier to stop people of getting dogs ;p
btw, to my knowledge, unless its for hunting or security it is makrooh to keep a dog. it is said that angels wont enter a house that has a dog inside it. but not sure if this is correct religious view or just in kuwaiti culture. also, the main issue with dogs are related to their saliva and pissing everywhere.
Train your damn dog to piss outside. I have dogs and they’re trained. If your house is filled with dog piss it’s your own fault.
Also show me the exact passage in the Quran where it says it’s haram to get a dog.
+1
why don’t they expand their adoption reach for outside of Kuwait? maybe like that they can increase the amount of possible adopters.
If it is possible to link the dogs back to the owners, charge the owners for letting their dogs go.
We wish! Microchipping is one way that some countries do this, but this even has its own issues, as someone has to have a database and then keep it updated regularly when peoples contact details change. Would be great to link to civil ID but would need ministry help on this one and back up of law…hmmm…good luck with that one!
I live in an area with lots of expats and I see them walk their dogs every morning, when their contracts expires, they leave and i see their dogs running all over the place and feeding of the trash.
To PAWS,
In Kuwait the rental laws are heavily biased towards the tenant.
If they have any lease agreement, even if it was for one year and was not renewed it will essentially still be valid.
If they have a personal relationship with the landlord and don’t want to be difficult then they should look for another place within the 2 months and move on.
If the landlord is being unreasonable then they should just say that they are not moving at all OR that they will move when they have the funds and an appropriate venue to move to. In the mean time they should just continue to pay their rent and go on with their business.
The landlord cant kick them out, all he can do is try and go through the courts and that will take longer than he wants it to.
disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, but consulting one might be a good idea, and it wont cost much at all.
Good luck
@TweeZ – PAWS does adopt outside Kuwait. If you go to the website you will see they recently rehomed 4 salukis to germany and have dogs flown to Canada and the USA as much as possible with tie ins to rehoming organisations there. Unfortunately there is always a funds issue. There are always more dogs to come in their place, and people buying dogs and cats from friday market, having them for a few weeks then throwing them out like it was an old toy. Believe me, if there was an easy way to stop people buying/getting animals we would LOVE to action it, and it does not help when people let their pets have a full litters and then not find (forever) homes for them all. BTW: This is not just a Kuwait issue, but a lot of countries have governments which support and value help of welfare organisations, not add to their constant struggle.