Animal rescuers across the UAE say this summer has been one of the hardest they can remember, with a marked increase in the number of pets left behind by their owners.
Summer has always been the peak season for abandonment. As temperatures climb and residents leave the country for extended holidays, dogs and cats turn up on the street, outside veterinary clinics, or locked inside emptied apartments. What makes this year different, rescuers say, is that holiday travel is no longer the main driver. A growing number of residents are relocating or leaving the UAE for good, and some are walking away without their animals.
Chiku Singh, an independent ground rescuer and consultant, said she has personally seen more abandonment cases this season involving cats, dogs and other domesticated pets. She keeps no formal statistics, but the volume of feeding rounds, trap neuter return work and emergency medical calls has climbed steadily. The cases, she said, simply do not stop: one closes and the next message arrives.
Among the hardest to see are microchipped house pets found trying to survive alongside established street colonies. Animals raised indoors rarely cope with heat, traffic and competition for food.
The financial squeeze is just as serious. Veterinary bills, food and shelter costs keep rising while volunteers, foster homes and donations all thin out over the summer months. Many rescuers quietly fund the shortfall themselves.
Rescue groups are urging residents to plan boarding or pet relocation well before travelling, to budget for it honestly, and to consider adopting rather than buying. Abandoning an animal is a punishable offence under UAE animal welfare law.