Dogs in Riyadh

Hi Sonjat!! welcome to the forum!!

Its better if you first visit Riyadh and have a look if the environment is suitable for your dogs. I don't know where in the city u can walk your dogs but hopefully some dog lover familiar with the place can answer your queries

Thank you for your welcome. Yes, I'm coming in a few days to have a look.

Hello Sonjat and welcome to Expat.com!

I hope that other members will be able to help you.

Regards,
Harmonie.

It's going to be 110 F this weekend. I don't think that's suitable weather for a dog to walk in. My pug certainly couldn't stand it!

Hi Sonjat

Welcome to the blog.

You may want to read up more about dogs in saudi Arabia. They are not considered to be clean animals and thus not well accepted here. You may not be allowed out your compound with them ie to walk them in the street or in the city. The temperature here in summer gets to about 48deg. But we are going into winter now - that can get to -2deg.

There are numerous vets here.

hi, i think is going to be difficult exercise them in the city, inside the compounds no problem because most of them allow it but the only place im thinking is inside de D.Q. you have a pathway around it and you can run or whatever with your pets.

yup D.Q is a nice place

Has anyone brought dogs from South Africa to Riyadh? I'm moving on Monday coming, and just hate the thought of leaving them behind in South Africa, even though the care and temperature would be kind to them in South Africa. 

I don't want to upheaval them by flying them to a place where they are mostly cooped up all day on their own, with no company and in living circumstances which are sub-optimal.

Anyone caring to comment from personal experience would greatly help my decision-making with regards to them staying or coming.

Best wishes and THANKS for all you folk who help the rest of us resettle!

Carin

@Carin,

I would NOT recommend you bring your lovely dogs over. There are very few *and rather exclusive* places you'd be able to walk them, and the temperatures here are just mental. Your wee darlings would probably just spend all their time indoors

Thanks deestrangled,

It's a major concern for me that they'd be living indoors all the time and that the heat isn't a fair match for their constitutions.  Thanks for your input!

Kind wishes

Carin

Hello All,

bringing pets to Riyadh is a difficult decision.
obviously you don't want to give them up but I would consider carefully bringing them out. esp large breed dogs, older animals, animals with complicated medical conditions etc.

there are several reasons behind my caution,

first, Saudi doesn't have a quarinteen facility at the airports so if there is any complication with the papers the animal is kinda stuck in a box. This is less of an issue if you can carry your pet as hand luggage.

2. most compounds have active pest control against outside cats so unless you keep it indoors or your own villa, that's a risk.
For dogs, many places do not allow you to keep them and in the compounds which do there are usually only small yards and exercise space isn't easily available. That's ok if your dog is happy with a trot down the road but if your boarder collie expects 2 hours running a day, it's a drive out to the desert.

3. veterinary facilities are very limited.

4. many people come to Saudi and don't stay long, despite their origional intentions, so I would recommend anyone test the waters well before bringing their pets in to join them.

Dear Open Paws

I sincerely appreciate your helpful and frank comments. It breaks my heart to leave them behind, but I've felt the same check in my heart about bringing them. As you say, one doesn't know how you'll stay and it's a huge upheaval from them to be brought over, especially if the living conditions are sub-optimal. At least I do have a sound care arrangement back in SOuth Africa, although it'll never be the same as being with them myself.

Kind wishes and do let me know if you need any volunteers in Riyadh - happy to pitch in where I can...

Carin

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@kampa80 Could you take your 3 dogs with you?

@kampa80 Could you take your 3 dogs with you?

@kampa80

I have one large dog and until recently took him out for walks on the street. I was stopped on a number of occasions, by the Police and told it was illegal to walk my dog on the street. This is completely untrue. It is illegal for your dog/s to mess on the street and for you not to pick it up.

Dog off the leash I take my dog out to the desert and he will follow / lead me on a walk. If I am camping he is off the leash the whole time, he does sleep in the car.

The reason I don’t take him on the streets at the moment is because I have moved to a dog friendly compound which there are several I live on Ishbilia Residential Compound on the East of Riyadh. The compound has an old roller skating rink that has been converted to a grass dog park where lots of dogs have the chance to socialise.

Vets there are numerous vets in Riyadh too many to list but Elite and Advance Vet Clinic are the oldest ones there are now vets virtually in every neighbourhood.

Do not worry about being your pet family.

Hello everyone,

The post of Kampa80 is from 2011.... also please note that he is no longer on the website.

Please participate only on recent. threads so that members can benefit.

Thank you in advance

Bhavna