The number of registered dogs in Dubai has tripled in the past few years.  Dog owners who fail to follow municipality dog rules are fined by a team of inspectors; 55 of which were issued in 2010, mostly to dog owners residing in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Mirdif, Marina and Umm Suqeim districts.

Dog-owning expats are getting increasingly confused about the rules and the anti-dog attitude of local inhabitants. According to Veterinary Services Section officials, those rules are straightforward – dogs are banned from all beaches and public parks. Also, dogs must be kept on a leash and/or in an appropriate muzzle in public and owners have to clean up the animal’s waste when taking their dogs out. Furthermore, dogs must be vaccinated and registered, and are not allowed to become stray. Fines for not following these rules range from around $55 to $140.

It is prohibited to walk a dog on the Marina Walk, The Palm or in the Dubai Marina. To help you with the changes, Move One’s Pet Transportation department combined a list of places where it is ALLOWED to walk your dog in Dubai.

It seems that rules still have not been either clearly defined or properly explained to dog owners. Recently, residents at Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) received notices ordering the removal of their pets, and the same happened in Shorooq Mirdif, despite the community guide stating pets were allowed. One dog owner said “I used to take my dogs to JBR, but it’s just not possible now. I know people have moved from JBR to the Greens because it’s dog-friendly.”

Dubai dog owners consider the Green’s gated community as one of the best areas to own a dog. A man-made lake surrounded by rich vegetation in the Greens represents an unofficial ‘dog park’.

Dog rescue shelter K9 Friends has recently issued a warning to Dubai dog owners: “Not everyone likes dogs and owners have to be considerate,” said Dorothy Wainless, a committee member. She added “If someone is walking toward me I deliberately go onto the road or walk around them to be considerate”.

Veterinary Services Senior Vet Health Inspector Adil Eltayeb Elbadri said responded to pet-owners complaints by assuring them that “There is no dog ban in Dubai.”