dogs in doha, in the news!!!
jUST ONE DOG, REVISITED
HTTP://WWW.LIFEWITHDOGS.TV/2012/05/JUST-ONE-DOG-REVISITED/
Your site introduced me, and really all of us…to Stanley – Just One Dog, and had a profound effect on so many of us at the time. Here’s one more “Just One Dog” story, inspired by Stanley’s journey.
I recently befriended a woman, Allondra Stephens, who operates a rescue (Dogs For Life) in California. She needed help transporting a shelter dog to her from one coast to the other. That dog ended up flying out, but in the process of coordinating the rescue, Allondra and I became friends. One day, while looking at her Facebook page, I saw the photos of two girls – Salukis in Qatar.
I was particularly drawn to one, Bahiya, a lovely smooth coated Saluki, who, in what I was shocked to learn was common form for racing dogs, had her ears cut off, and when her owner was ‘done’ with her, she was dumped in the desert with another Saluki, Rysha, because of the long held belief that ‘God will protect and watch over them.’
In no way is this a blanket practice among all Qataris. There are many, many people there who cherish and rescue and care beautifully for their animals. But I learned that Salukis often suffer this fate after having been used for desert racing or for hunting, and cast aside when no longer useful.
I thought, “What can I do?” Then I thought of Life With Dogs, and how sharing Stanley’s story had such far-reaching effects. So I posted Bahiya’s photo, along with that of Rysha…and I waited. I did not wait long.
Before I knew it, I had comments from the small grassroots group in Qatar that was working tirelessly to save these dogs – Birgit Marquerithe, Founder of DiD (Dogs In Doha) and it’s sister group, RSME (Rescued Salukis in the Middle East), and her day-to-day contact in Qatar, Rolga. I was told there is no quarantine between Qatar and the U.S., and that the cost to fly them to the US would not prohibitive. I took a deep breath, researched what flight costs would total, and shared.
Darla Dean (a mutual friend) immediately committed to fostering both girls, but could not afford to fly them both over. Within minutes, we had offers to sponsor trips for both girls. The vet center treating Bahiya and Rysha has done much at a greatly reduced, or in some cases, no cost, or have found staff willing to help with expenses. We had offers from people flying from Qatar to the U.S. to claim them as ‘luggage’ to keep flight costs down, and best of all – more people are coming forward with offers to foster – and even adopt these regal dogs.
My local bank has offered to help, and even do a write-up to send to their headquarters in New York. Darla is going to publish a children’s book about Bahiya’s and Rysha’s journey to a new life. And she and I are actually (crazily?) exploring other possibilities to help facilitate bringing more of these gentle souls over here, into good groups and homes. We want to help with fundraisers for the groups in Qatar, and for U.S. groups willing to take them in.
The fabulous women and men in Qatar working to help them are often faced with horrendously difficult decisions. With no foster or adoptive homes available, they face nearly insurmountable hurdles. Qatar is such a tiny country and most people there want small dogs due to limited space in cities, so DiD and RSME have been working to try to get these dogs to countries where their chances for adoption into sighthound savvy homes are much higher.
Now that the girls (affectionately nicknamed Princesses of the Mangroves) are healthy again, they are both coming over to the U.S. in June or July for the chance at a life they couldn’t find in Qatar.
I did not start the rescue or the grassroots efforts in Qatar. That was a coming together of caring people living there. But remembering Stanley gave me a little shove to take a chance and post that picture, hoping it would make a connection…between just one dog, and just one person.
Thank you for giving me the courage to take some initiative, and to make a difference. I can’t wait to see where this goes!
-Emily Danskin
I recently befriended a woman, Allondra Stephens, who operates a rescue (Dogs For Life) in California. She needed help transporting a shelter dog to her from one coast to the other. That dog ended up flying out, but in the process of coordinating the rescue, Allondra and I became friends. One day, while looking at her Facebook page, I saw the photos of two girls – Salukis in Qatar.
I was particularly drawn to one, Bahiya, a lovely smooth coated Saluki, who, in what I was shocked to learn was common form for racing dogs, had her ears cut off, and when her owner was ‘done’ with her, she was dumped in the desert with another Saluki, Rysha, because of the long held belief that ‘God will protect and watch over them.’
In no way is this a blanket practice among all Qataris. There are many, many people there who cherish and rescue and care beautifully for their animals. But I learned that Salukis often suffer this fate after having been used for desert racing or for hunting, and cast aside when no longer useful.
I thought, “What can I do?” Then I thought of Life With Dogs, and how sharing Stanley’s story had such far-reaching effects. So I posted Bahiya’s photo, along with that of Rysha…and I waited. I did not wait long.
Before I knew it, I had comments from the small grassroots group in Qatar that was working tirelessly to save these dogs – Birgit Marquerithe, Founder of DiD (Dogs In Doha) and it’s sister group, RSME (Rescued Salukis in the Middle East), and her day-to-day contact in Qatar, Rolga. I was told there is no quarantine between Qatar and the U.S., and that the cost to fly them to the US would not prohibitive. I took a deep breath, researched what flight costs would total, and shared.
Darla Dean (a mutual friend) immediately committed to fostering both girls, but could not afford to fly them both over. Within minutes, we had offers to sponsor trips for both girls. The vet center treating Bahiya and Rysha has done much at a greatly reduced, or in some cases, no cost, or have found staff willing to help with expenses. We had offers from people flying from Qatar to the U.S. to claim them as ‘luggage’ to keep flight costs down, and best of all – more people are coming forward with offers to foster – and even adopt these regal dogs.
My local bank has offered to help, and even do a write-up to send to their headquarters in New York. Darla is going to publish a children’s book about Bahiya’s and Rysha’s journey to a new life. And she and I are actually (crazily?) exploring other possibilities to help facilitate bringing more of these gentle souls over here, into good groups and homes. We want to help with fundraisers for the groups in Qatar, and for U.S. groups willing to take them in.
The fabulous women and men in Qatar working to help them are often faced with horrendously difficult decisions. With no foster or adoptive homes available, they face nearly insurmountable hurdles. Qatar is such a tiny country and most people there want small dogs due to limited space in cities, so DiD and RSME have been working to try to get these dogs to countries where their chances for adoption into sighthound savvy homes are much higher.
Now that the girls (affectionately nicknamed Princesses of the Mangroves) are healthy again, they are both coming over to the U.S. in June or July for the chance at a life they couldn’t find in Qatar.
I did not start the rescue or the grassroots efforts in Qatar. That was a coming together of caring people living there. But remembering Stanley gave me a little shove to take a chance and post that picture, hoping it would make a connection…between just one dog, and just one person.
Thank you for giving me the courage to take some initiative, and to make a difference. I can’t wait to see where this goes!
-Emily Danskin
DOGS IN DOHA IN THE GULF-TIMES NEWS PAPER, MARCH 13, 2011
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=421597&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Group seeking help to re-home rescued dogs By Noimot Olayiwola
Looking for a new home: Judo and Wiley Dog lover Birgit Marquerithe, who is the founder of “Dogs in Doha”, has appealed to well-meaning residents to help re-home some dogs she and her group members have rescued from Doha streets.
Marquerithe, who moved from the Netherlands to the Middle East to work almost 14 years ago, returned to Qatar in 2004 and found the group to bring together dog owners to walk their pets, helping them socialise their pets and get to know each other.
She now owns a few rescued dogs, namely Jerry, Seya, DD, Ella, Mila and little Lola, and has been involved with animal welfare efforts in Doha.
“The aim of Dogs in Doha is to connect loving, ‘forever’ homes with the animals I have rescued, ‘forever’ homes where I know they would be just as grateful, happy and content as mine,” she told Gulf Times in an interview.
Other dogs she is hoping to get into foster homes are Chance, Suzy, Cleo, Hoover, Max, Izzy, Saber, Tasha, Ceasar, Lulu, Lara and Maya.
The latest dog rescued by the group is Pablo, a racing dog that was probably hit by a car, whose right fore-limb has been amputated due to injuries sustained.
“We found Pablo and took him for treatment. So far we have spent QR6,000 on medical costs, including to amputate the injured limps.
“The dog is coping fast and we hope to get it settled in a foster home soon,” she said.
The group raises funds for its activities by participating in awareness raising events, fund-raisers, table-top sales and other sundry events, she said.
“We buy and resell stuff at events, some members bake cookies for sales and we get some of them donating branded items such as T-shirt, mugs, just to raise some money for the animals’ feeding, veterinary care as well as vaccinations,” Marquerithe said.
Group member Nicky Roffey of Qatar Pet Travel is helping to get some of the dogs re-homed outside Qatar.
“We appreciate the efforts by the government, especially the Animal Resources Department, in improving animal welfare services for the country. We hope that they will make the processing of passport and travel documents for the animals an easy one,” Roffey said.
She is hoping to relocate some dogs to the US and Holland as soon as possible.
For more information about the group, visit www.dogsindoha.weebly.com.
Looking for a new home: Judo and Wiley Dog lover Birgit Marquerithe, who is the founder of “Dogs in Doha”, has appealed to well-meaning residents to help re-home some dogs she and her group members have rescued from Doha streets.
Marquerithe, who moved from the Netherlands to the Middle East to work almost 14 years ago, returned to Qatar in 2004 and found the group to bring together dog owners to walk their pets, helping them socialise their pets and get to know each other.
She now owns a few rescued dogs, namely Jerry, Seya, DD, Ella, Mila and little Lola, and has been involved with animal welfare efforts in Doha.
“The aim of Dogs in Doha is to connect loving, ‘forever’ homes with the animals I have rescued, ‘forever’ homes where I know they would be just as grateful, happy and content as mine,” she told Gulf Times in an interview.
Other dogs she is hoping to get into foster homes are Chance, Suzy, Cleo, Hoover, Max, Izzy, Saber, Tasha, Ceasar, Lulu, Lara and Maya.
The latest dog rescued by the group is Pablo, a racing dog that was probably hit by a car, whose right fore-limb has been amputated due to injuries sustained.
“We found Pablo and took him for treatment. So far we have spent QR6,000 on medical costs, including to amputate the injured limps.
“The dog is coping fast and we hope to get it settled in a foster home soon,” she said.
The group raises funds for its activities by participating in awareness raising events, fund-raisers, table-top sales and other sundry events, she said.
“We buy and resell stuff at events, some members bake cookies for sales and we get some of them donating branded items such as T-shirt, mugs, just to raise some money for the animals’ feeding, veterinary care as well as vaccinations,” Marquerithe said.
Group member Nicky Roffey of Qatar Pet Travel is helping to get some of the dogs re-homed outside Qatar.
“We appreciate the efforts by the government, especially the Animal Resources Department, in improving animal welfare services for the country. We hope that they will make the processing of passport and travel documents for the animals an easy one,” Roffey said.
She is hoping to relocate some dogs to the US and Holland as soon as possible.
For more information about the group, visit www.dogsindoha.weebly.com.
DOGS IN DOHA`S OWN PINTO IS ON THE DUTCH WEBSITE....
HTTP://WWW.WERELDPOOTJES.NL/NIEUWSBRIEF/NIEUWSBRIEF5.HTML
Pinto is leaving for Holland on the 19th of June, and Holland is getting ready for his arrival!!!!
GULF-TIMES : Tuesday/ 23/02/2010
Scheme to rehome abandoned dogs
By Peter Townson
Merlino, one of the salukis which has been relocated in the US
Dog lovers will have the opportunity to support a scheme aimed at rescuing and rehoming abandoned dogs from the city streets at the Dogs in Doha and Art Afternoon on Friday.
The afternoon will feature some 20 st...alls selling pieces of art and other items, as well as a kids’ corner, a silent auction and a raffle.
Dogs in Doha was founded by Birgit Marquerithe who has arranged the event at Al Ain Gardens with other members of her group.
Birgit is a dog lover who owns five rescue dogs herself and has always been involved with animal welfare efforts in Doha. She created Dogs in Doha to bring together dog-owners to walk their dogs, helping them socialise their pets and get to know each other.
With more members joining the group came increased awareness about rescued dogs and strays, and so she began to work to get rescued dogs into foster homes in the hope that they could be rehomed abroad.
Establishing a link with the Saluki Tree of Life Alliance (STOLA), Birgit began to transport rescued salukis from Qatar to the US where the group had already identified foster homes for the animals.
And since then she has been sending dogs to loving homes on a regular basis – so far Birgit has rehomed some 25 saluki dogs in the US, and is currently working on plans to create similar links in Europe to send dogs to Italy and Belgium.
Transporting the dogs across the world is not cheap, and Birgit has got by so far by relying on the support of her group-members and her private funds. However, as the operation continues to grow, she has recognised the need for more help, and so money raised at Friday’s event will be put towards vet’s bills and the cost of flying the dogs abroad.
“I will not be handling any of the money, but people can visit the vets and pay off some of the dogs’ bills, and the people selling items at the event have direct links to vets to donate their funds there,” explained Birgit.
After rescuing the dogs, Birgit has them vaccinated and checked out before placing them in foster homes. After they have been in foster care, Birgit is able to gather information about the animals’ behaviour and preferences, which she can then pass on to the centres abroad so they can be placed in suitable homes.
“With salukis being a very common breed in the region and a mistaken belief that they make difficult pets, it often takes longer for them to find homes,” she explained, adding “but people around the world are specifically looking to adopt salukis, so we can send them there.”
Merlino, a saluki rescued from the desert near Dukhan is one of the group’s success stories. Skinny, malnourished, covered in tics and in general poor health, he was taken to the vets where after a couple of weeks of treatment he was ready to be rehomed.A stroke of good luck meant that Birgit had a space available for Merlino, and so he was taken to the US and to a new life, thanks to Birgit’s and STOLA’s efforts.
Birgit ensures that all the dogs she rehomes are neutered or spayed as she does not want them to be used for breeding, which could lead to the possibility of them or their puppies being brought back to Qatar.
She is constantly shocked by the animals she finds dumped, with many of the salukis she rescues having been used for hunting or racing.
“When they are no longer able to run or they get too old they are just left in the desert,” she said, adding “these dogs can’t help themselves – we need to help them.”
And Birgit was keen to emphasise the long term implications of owning a dog: “People often adopt dogs and think they can just leave them when they leave the country, but dogs are a long-term commitment and people should always take them when they repatriate.”
“Luckily a lot of people have been giving me support, such as iloveqatar.net, Starlink, Honda, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott, as well as many others,” she said, adding that the Doha Vets and Qatar Veterinary Centre have also provided incredible assistance since she established the group.
Details about Friday’s event can be found on Birgit’s website www.dogsindoha.weebly.com or her Facebook group, and anyone is welcome to attend.
By Peter Townson
Merlino, one of the salukis which has been relocated in the US
Dog lovers will have the opportunity to support a scheme aimed at rescuing and rehoming abandoned dogs from the city streets at the Dogs in Doha and Art Afternoon on Friday.
The afternoon will feature some 20 st...alls selling pieces of art and other items, as well as a kids’ corner, a silent auction and a raffle.
Dogs in Doha was founded by Birgit Marquerithe who has arranged the event at Al Ain Gardens with other members of her group.
Birgit is a dog lover who owns five rescue dogs herself and has always been involved with animal welfare efforts in Doha. She created Dogs in Doha to bring together dog-owners to walk their dogs, helping them socialise their pets and get to know each other.
With more members joining the group came increased awareness about rescued dogs and strays, and so she began to work to get rescued dogs into foster homes in the hope that they could be rehomed abroad.
Establishing a link with the Saluki Tree of Life Alliance (STOLA), Birgit began to transport rescued salukis from Qatar to the US where the group had already identified foster homes for the animals.
And since then she has been sending dogs to loving homes on a regular basis – so far Birgit has rehomed some 25 saluki dogs in the US, and is currently working on plans to create similar links in Europe to send dogs to Italy and Belgium.
Transporting the dogs across the world is not cheap, and Birgit has got by so far by relying on the support of her group-members and her private funds. However, as the operation continues to grow, she has recognised the need for more help, and so money raised at Friday’s event will be put towards vet’s bills and the cost of flying the dogs abroad.
“I will not be handling any of the money, but people can visit the vets and pay off some of the dogs’ bills, and the people selling items at the event have direct links to vets to donate their funds there,” explained Birgit.
After rescuing the dogs, Birgit has them vaccinated and checked out before placing them in foster homes. After they have been in foster care, Birgit is able to gather information about the animals’ behaviour and preferences, which she can then pass on to the centres abroad so they can be placed in suitable homes.
“With salukis being a very common breed in the region and a mistaken belief that they make difficult pets, it often takes longer for them to find homes,” she explained, adding “but people around the world are specifically looking to adopt salukis, so we can send them there.”
Merlino, a saluki rescued from the desert near Dukhan is one of the group’s success stories. Skinny, malnourished, covered in tics and in general poor health, he was taken to the vets where after a couple of weeks of treatment he was ready to be rehomed.A stroke of good luck meant that Birgit had a space available for Merlino, and so he was taken to the US and to a new life, thanks to Birgit’s and STOLA’s efforts.
Birgit ensures that all the dogs she rehomes are neutered or spayed as she does not want them to be used for breeding, which could lead to the possibility of them or their puppies being brought back to Qatar.
She is constantly shocked by the animals she finds dumped, with many of the salukis she rescues having been used for hunting or racing.
“When they are no longer able to run or they get too old they are just left in the desert,” she said, adding “these dogs can’t help themselves – we need to help them.”
And Birgit was keen to emphasise the long term implications of owning a dog: “People often adopt dogs and think they can just leave them when they leave the country, but dogs are a long-term commitment and people should always take them when they repatriate.”
“Luckily a lot of people have been giving me support, such as iloveqatar.net, Starlink, Honda, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott, as well as many others,” she said, adding that the Doha Vets and Qatar Veterinary Centre have also provided incredible assistance since she established the group.
Details about Friday’s event can be found on Birgit’s website www.dogsindoha.weebly.com or her Facebook group, and anyone is welcome to attend.
GULF-TIMES: 18/04/2010
Two women prove to be these hounds’ best friends By Peter Townson
Having a stroll among the flowers in Texas
Two rescued salukis, on the brink of death when they were found some seven weeks ago, have recovered and been given new homes in the US thanks to the dedication and hard work of the ‘Dogs in Doha,’ group and volunteers in Qatar and the US.
Group founder Birgit Marguerite explained that Bousa and Sanaya were found in “a very bad condition,” and that she was worried whether they would survive. “We didn’t know if they were going to make it,” she said, explaining that the dogs both weighed around 10kg, were extremely malnourished and seemed to be in general poor health.”
After having the dogs checked over, someone who saw pictures of the dogs was willing to give them a foster home and nurture them back to full health. And after just two weeks, the dogs had put on a good deal of weight and were looking much healthier.
“Both girls are fighters and we were not going to give up on them,” explained Marguerite. She contacted the Italian Greyhound Rescue group in Dallas, Texas, who arranged a foster home for the dogs, meaning all that remained was to get them to their new home.
Luckily, another friend found out about the dogs on Marguerite’s website, www.dogsindoha.weebly.com, and promised to make sure they would be flown back to the US.
An American citizen, Judy, offered assistance to Marguerite by pledging to take the dogs home to the US when she next travelled there. Last week she took Bousa and Sanaya to their new home. “These two very special dogs have been mistreated in the most horrible way by being totally forgotten,” she claimed, “with this trip to Texas, they will have the once in a lifetime chance to live with people who cherish and care for them as members of their family.”
“‘Dogs in Doha’ has been making amazing accomplishments with finding abandoned and neglected dogs loving foster homes and/or adoptive homes,” she added.
“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me get the funds together and help to send these two gorgeous girls to Dallas,” said Marguerite, showing gratitude to Starlink, Iloveqatar, Doha Vets, Qatar Pet Travel and Judy. “So many dogs get dumped here, if we had the pet passport scheme owners would be able to relocate their pets easily and a large number of these animals would be saved from this suffering.”
Having a stroll among the flowers in Texas
Two rescued salukis, on the brink of death when they were found some seven weeks ago, have recovered and been given new homes in the US thanks to the dedication and hard work of the ‘Dogs in Doha,’ group and volunteers in Qatar and the US.
Group founder Birgit Marguerite explained that Bousa and Sanaya were found in “a very bad condition,” and that she was worried whether they would survive. “We didn’t know if they were going to make it,” she said, explaining that the dogs both weighed around 10kg, were extremely malnourished and seemed to be in general poor health.”
After having the dogs checked over, someone who saw pictures of the dogs was willing to give them a foster home and nurture them back to full health. And after just two weeks, the dogs had put on a good deal of weight and were looking much healthier.
“Both girls are fighters and we were not going to give up on them,” explained Marguerite. She contacted the Italian Greyhound Rescue group in Dallas, Texas, who arranged a foster home for the dogs, meaning all that remained was to get them to their new home.
Luckily, another friend found out about the dogs on Marguerite’s website, www.dogsindoha.weebly.com, and promised to make sure they would be flown back to the US.
An American citizen, Judy, offered assistance to Marguerite by pledging to take the dogs home to the US when she next travelled there. Last week she took Bousa and Sanaya to their new home. “These two very special dogs have been mistreated in the most horrible way by being totally forgotten,” she claimed, “with this trip to Texas, they will have the once in a lifetime chance to live with people who cherish and care for them as members of their family.”
“‘Dogs in Doha’ has been making amazing accomplishments with finding abandoned and neglected dogs loving foster homes and/or adoptive homes,” she added.
“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me get the funds together and help to send these two gorgeous girls to Dallas,” said Marguerite, showing gratitude to Starlink, Iloveqatar, Doha Vets, Qatar Pet Travel and Judy. “So many dogs get dumped here, if we had the pet passport scheme owners would be able to relocate their pets easily and a large number of these animals would be saved from this suffering.”