Vaccinating Your Pet in Dubai

When you picture owning a dog or cat in Dubai, do you picture the following: Fancy dog-friendly brunches. Cats in their sky-high apartments, view of Burj Khalifa sipping water out of their stainless steel drinking fountain. Fridays at the desert with your dogs. Coming home from a long day at work, making through the rush hour Sheikh Zayed Road traffic to your cat purring on your bed.

Well, we assume that it is all of the above, but here are some laws by Dubai Municipality that you should keep in mind before committing to a pet.

It is a commitment

As announced by the Dubai Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, abandoning your pet is considered an act of animal cruelty and illegal/punishable by law in the UAE.

All pets need to be vaccinated, licensed and registered

For new pet parents who adopt kittens and puppies, you will probably need to bring your new baby into your nearest vet for their initial vaccinations and rabies vaccinations. You will need to bring them back in 3-4 weeks for their booster shots, and then just once annually moving forward.

Once any pet has been given their rabies vaccination, they will have to be microchipped and issued a Dubai Municipality Tag. They will be registered under your name with the Dubai Municipality, and registration is only valid for a year. Re-registering your pet can be done during your pet’s next annual vaccination.

Abusing, hunting, buying or selling animals is considered an act of animal abuse and can be punishable by law here within the UAE.