Hope for Dubai dogs home K9 Friends as staff hail 'unbelievable' support

Covid-19 has left the non-profit centre on the brink of financial collapse

A volunteer plays with dogs at the K9 Friends shelter in Dubai. Reuters

For more than 30 years, K9 Friends has been helping to rehome stray and abandoned dogs across the UAE.

So, when the non-profit announced it was in financial difficulty meaning it might not make it through the summer, there was shock and upset among the UAE’s dog lovers.

“If K9 Friends does not receive immediate help then they will be forced to close the doors within the next few months,” the post, shared on June 21, said. “Unfortunately the last few years have been hard for everyone and it is with a heavy heart that K9 Friends are now in financial trouble.

“With no official financial help we can no longer sustain the financial burden of DEWA, maintenance, insurance, staff costs and vet bills that are all associated with running a rehoming shelter.”

The post said the centre’s average running costs are Dh80,000 per month. In May, it took Dh20,370 in adoption fees and sponsorships, just a quarter of what it needs to survive.

“K9 Friends has helped the dogs and families in so many ways, not only in the homing of the dogs but also in the medical emergencies that arise; ensuring all of the dogs in our care are neutered and vaccinated,” the post continued.

“We have never been in the situation that we have had to directly ask for assistance but Covid times have hit us hard and we can see no way out of this current situation.”

Speaking to The National, K9 Friends general manager Solange Bornand said staff have been overwhelmed with the support they have received.

“The influx of response we have had is unbelievable,” she said. “The support messages have left the whole team in tears. We’ve had so much support from new people and also people who have adopted from us over the years. Some of them are not even in the country anymore.

“The messages and support has been truly amazing, it’s an incredible community. We are still reading and responding to all the messages. So many people just want to know how they can help.”

The best way, Bornand says, is to consider adoption, sponsorship, or even volunteering time and skills at the centre.

“The help we are looking for is not necessarily financial,” she says. “It can come from adopting, fostering dogs to give them a break and free some space in the kennel. It could come from volunteering. We need so many skills — accounting, maintenance and IT support.”

Covid-19 meant K9 Friends was unable to hold several of its annual fundraising events, as well as welcome schools and corporate companies for visits.

“Everything slowed down so the proceeds didn’t come,” Bornand says. “Alongside this, adoption is also slowing down because people have left for the warmer months, which made us realise that we may not survive the summer.”

K9 Friends is currently operating at full capacity, with 120 dogs in its care and a long waiting list.

“We have 80 dogs on the waiting list and we work on a one out, one in policy,” Bornand says. “By issuing the plea, we were hoping it could help buy us some time to get through summer. We wanted to see how much support we could get.

"However, even if we were about to close, we would always ensure we had a couple of months. We have staff to think about, so for the respect of the staff and the dogs, we could not just make the decision to close overnight. With the 120 dogs we have, and knowing the shelters across the UAE are full, it would have been a bit tricky.

“Of course we would never put the dogs to sleep, we are aware of some comments circulating on social media and that is not the case. We would allow ourselves enough time to find a place for them, but hopefully it will not come to that, we are feeling positive.”

K9 Friends was started in 1989 by a group of 12 friends. Its current shelter has been operational since 2009; since the organisation’s inception it has helped to rehome more than 7,900 dogs.

“What we need is to continue our mission to give dogs a chance, to welcome dogs who are stray and abandoned,” Bornand says. “That is our long term plan that we want to continue with. Things are looking more promising.”

Dogs for adoption at K9 Friends Dubai — in pictures