'Aggressive dogs' have Jumeirah Janes running scared

It is not clear if the incidents involved the same dogs, but the incidents occurred in the same neighbourhood.

Last week, a resident claims two big dogs attacked her dog. “My dog was attacked on Monday evening by two dangerous dogs. He died from his injuries,” she writes on an online forum for expats living in Dubai.

The incident took place in Al Jaboot Street in Jumeirah 3. A little further away, another female resident had a similar experience. On the same forum thread, she describes an encounter with a dog that she claims looked like a hound.

“He was unleashed. My one-year old was walking near me. I was watching my 3-year old and 5-year old, who were riding their bikes. My one year old was pointing to the dog. I looked behind me and he was running towards her. I grabbed her before he reached her. I was just screaming. Me and my baby were shivering and crying.”

Both residents are terrified. “We haven't left the house after that. I'm afraid the dog might come back,” says the mother of three.

By law, a dog attacking another dog or human must be confiscated and the owner fined.

"The fine is at least Dh2000," says Hisham Ahmad Fahmi, veterinary expert at Dubai Municipality. "We look at each case individually. We try to see what provoked the dog to attack. The behaviour of a dog is highly dependable on the way owners treat their dog."

Furthermore, Dubai Municipality issued a list of 12 breeds that are banned from the UAE, because they are considered dangerous. "People can even file a police case when they or their dog is attacked by another dog."

However, Hisham says Dubai Municipality has not heard of any dangerous dogs in Jumeirah 3. "We have not received any complaints about this," he says.

In reality, the ban means nothing more than a restriction on the import of the breeds, as dogs that were already in the country at the time the rule was implemented can stay, on the condition that they are leashed and mulled whenever in a public place.

The lady whose dog died from the attack has not been able to identify the owners. “I believe they may be guard dogs on a nearby building site. As I have no details for the owners and have not found out where they live yet, the police can do very little, but these are dangerous and must be caught,” she writes.

The list of dogs banned by Dubai Municipality include:

• American Staffordshire Terrier
• American Pit Bull Terrier
• American Bull Dog
• Bull Terrier
• Old English Bull Dog
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Rottweiler
• Neapolitan
• Argentinean Mastiff

Image via Shutterstock

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