Soaring pet ownership has left Abu Dhabi trying to get a tighter leash on the issue. Its solution: mandatory pet registration. A grace period for databasing dachshunds and dalmatians ended earlier this year and failure to register a prize pooch with the Department of Municipalities and Transport can now cost owners 1,000 dirhams ($272) per animal. The UAE’s pet population increased by almost 60% between 2014 and 2024 to 938,000, according to Euromonitor. Changing attitudes around pet ownership have been a windfall for companies in the pet supplies business.
But authorities say patchy data has made it hard to plan vaccination drives and manage the huge stray population. Registration itself is billed as free, but is available only from vets who charge for it. Four Abu Dhabi clinics contacted by Semafor quoted prices ranging from $25 to $68.