Spotlight on Bahrain Street Dogs

This article was written by our new ISDF Rescue Partner in Bahrain – Carrie Ann. ISDF is launching a Rescue Partnership with her in May 2019 and will be receiving our first rescue from her in May – Charlie Bear. The dogs of Bahrain NEED OUR HELP.

August 15, 2016 I moved half way around the world to teach at a private school in Abu Dhabi.  While there, I agreed to foster a street cat by the name of Ginny.  Ginny was FIV+ and desperately needed a home.  In late September, Ginny moved in with me as a foster.  Fast-forward to July 2017 and Ginny moved with me to Bahrain.  My husband had been living in Bahrain for the last year working at the Navy base.  We are now a family of three and two years of living in Bahrain. 

When I arrived in
Bahrain July 2017, I noticed dogs and cats roaming the streets.  The temps
were 100-110+ degrees Fahrenheit.  No access to food and no access to
water.  I was feeling rather anxious about this situation, so I got on
Facebook and began requesting to be added to groups that help stray animals,
particularly dogs. 

Bahrain
is an island country of about 1.5 million people; most of the people are Middle
Eastern with a rather large number of expats.  Land area is 283 square
miles.  Among these islanders, are 18,000 stray dogs living on the
streets. 

Rescue
groups in Bahrain face many issues.  There is one BSPCA with limited funds
that receives no government assistance.  There are a number of rescue
groups, however very little monetary or food donations are offered.  All
are attempting to raise donations to save the dogs.  There are limited
foster homes and due to high costs of exporting animals, many expats are
unwilling, or simply cannot afford to adopt. 

Another
issue the rescue groups face is being able to feed 18,000 stray dogs. 
Many groups are looking to area businesses that would otherwise throw their
scrap meats away from the meat departments.  Many are asking for leftovers
from restaurants and hotels, which again would throw away food. 

The
greatest battle is spaying and neutering.  Government funds are not
allocated for spaying and neutering, and again, we rely on donations.  The
population of stray dogs is out of control and continuing to grow at an
alarming rate.   We successfully
held a CNR event May 2018 as FarVets from Cornell University came and we
spayed/neutered 98 dogs in just 4 days. 
We are always seeking organizations to help with CNR.  We plan to hold another event from June 7 for
6-8 weeks and are seeking veterinarians from the US to help again. 

Another
issue is veterinary care and enforcement of laws.  Dogs are injured,
mistreated, malnourished, and even tortured on the streets of Bahrain. 
People do not turn to authorities, because laws are not enforced.  This
step in the process takes time, and many feel they do not have the time,
because the past has proven little action if any is taken.  So, veterinary
expenses due to the horrific act of sick individuals eats away at the little
amount of funds these rescue groups have. 

Bahrain must realize and act quickly in the most humane way to get the population of strays under control.  The stray dogs of Bahrain need a voice.  Their voice can no longer be silenced. 

If you can help, we would love
to hear from you.  I can be reached at carrie6572@gmail.com

Carrie Spoores

International Rescue Coordinator

Volunteer to the strays of
Bahrain