Pets more popular in Middle East

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Pet ownership is rising around the world, especially in the Middle East. In fact, it’s rising faster than the public’s understanding of what pets need to be happy and healthy. The World’s Aaron Schachter reports.

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MARCO WERMAN: Pet ownership is rising around the world, especially in the Middle East.  In fact, it’s rising faster than the public’s understanding of what pets need to be happy and healthy.  The World’s Aaron Schachter begins his report at a veterinarian’s office in Amman, Jordan.

AARON SCHACHTER: Veterinarian Ala’a Shehadeh runs Vet Zone in central Amman.  It’s a gleaming office with state of the art equipment.  Vet Zone caters to both animal-loving locals and expats and a new breed of local animal owners. Shehadeh calls them wannabes.  He says most Jordanians aren’t quite ready to care properly for their pets.  He shows me one of his feline patients to make the point.

ALA’A SHEHADEH: This is a typical example of a cat whose owners insisted on doing a de-clawing.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s inhumane.

SCHACHTER: Shehadeh says American vets de-claw cats too; but there it’s the exception, here it’s the rule.  He did the procedure anyway because otherwise the owner probably would have tossed the cat on the street.  Then the veterinarian tells a story about a seemingly sophisticated owner of a Great Dane-Lab mix.

SHEHADEH: The guy said that, you know, “he’s been sick for three days,” but he was skin and bones.  He had a foreign body in his stomach.  It was too late.

SCHACHTER: The dog died?

SHEHADEH: The dog died.  So when it comes to the dog, with maybe 30 or 35 percent of the cases that I see here, I’m afraid that it’s a prestige.  It’s a piece of furniture, and it’s a trophy at the home for a lot of people.

SCHACHTER: The Humane Center for Animal Welfare sits on the outskirts of Amman.  Its director is Margaret Ledger.  She and her staff treat sick and injured dogs and cats, as well as falcons, camels, sheep and horses.   Ledger says people in the Middle East treat their work animals fairly well, but domestic animals, like dogs and cats, are dispensable.

MARGARET LEDGER: It’s very depressing because it’s a high price that the pet has to pay at the end.  And it’s very easy for people to get rid of them.

SCHACHTER: Ledger says there’s a lack of political will to pass and enforce animal welfare laws, but she’s spearheading an animal welfare campaign she says is making a difference.

LEDGER: Like what we’re doing with pet shops now; we have regulations.  They never had this.  It’s much better organized now.  It’s got standards, it’s got specifications.

SHEHADEH: As a matter of fact, it made it worse for the animals.

SCHACHTER: This is vet Ala’a Shehadeh again.  He says the new standards Ledger praises have in fact lead to a thriving black market.

SHEHADEH: These animals, yes, were trapped in their cages and swimming in their feces, yeah, but now it’s even worse, okay.

SCHACHTER: Now, says Doctor Shehadeh, the animals are sold from back alleys or dark, dirty basements.  He says just shuttering pet shops was not the answer.

SHEHADEH: Prohibition should be coupled with technical advice, which was not provided.  Okay, let it be, you know.  Go and import these standards, I don’t mind.  But please, go and package it the proper way to address our way of doing things here.

SCHACHTER: But Humane Center director Ledger says the typical Middle East way of doing things won’t work anymore.  And she says the new laws are not out of the blue.  Her organization, made up entirely of Jordanians, has been working for nearly a decade to change things.  Amman’s mayor applauds the efforts.  But he says the city has so many problems that animal welfare often loses out.  The World Society for the Protection of Animals says what’s needed is an increased safety net of shelters and rescue facilities like Ledger’s.  For The World, I’m Aaron Schachter, Amman, Jordan.

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