Doha, Qatar – A suspected electrical fire swept through the sole animal rescue facility in Doha on 3 September 2009, leaving Qatar’s homeless and abandoned pets without a viable sanctuary.  The facility, run by Qatar Animal Welfare (QAWs), had been the temporary home to hundreds of abandoned dogs and cats, as well as several farm animals, for the last several years.

As news of the fire spread throughout the community, concerned animal lovers immediately turned up at the scene to assist in the rescue effort, as Qatari Civil Defense firefighters attempted to douse the blaze.  Despite the concerted efforts of all involved, the rescue structure was a complete loss, and dozens of cats as well as three dogs lost their lives in the blaze.

In the days following the tragedy, the community rallied together to foster and adopt pets needing homes, while local vets such as the Qatar Veterinary Clinic and Doha Veterinary Surgery scrambled to take in the injured and remaining animals without homes.  Donations in the form of food, bedding and treats poured in as people attempted to do what they could to assist in the recovery effort.  Within a week, QAWs had run out of storage space to continue accepting donations and requested a temporary hold, in donations via their web site www.qaws.org, to allow the opportunity to secure temporary storage space to store the contributions.

By mid-September, the Qatari landowner where the facility sits had agreed to a hold on all leasing fees until QAWs was back on its feet, and QAWs management continued to work with the Government of Qatar to gain access to the charred site in order to initiate their re-building process.  QAWs hopes to re-open its doors for Doha’s needy rescues in December 2009.

But the story does not end here.  Concerned animal lovers capitalized upon informal adoption and fostering networks in order to continue facilitating placement of animals in homes throughout the community, with Doha Veterinary Surgery, Doha Dogs and Qatar Veterinary Surgery taking the lead to ensure Qatar’s dogs and cats are not without homes even if Qatar lacks a rescue facility.  Kim Clarkson, Manager of Doha Veterinary Surgery, has worked diligently to place animals in foster and adoption homes, and has successfully facilitated the transport of several dogs to welcoming families in the U.S. According to Kim, "... strays have been steadily coming in to the clinic and we are close to capacity. As of today, we have 32 dogs and 46 cats that need to be re-homed." Kim has been working closely with STOLA, a U.S.-based Saluki rescue organization, in order to get some of the pets re-homed in the States.

There’s no doubt that the community will continue to work together to overcome this tragedy, and rescue organizations in Doha will ultimately emerge stronger than ever even in the face of adversity.

For more information on these organizations, visit their websites:

Quatar Animal Welfare: www.qaws.org

Doha Veterinary Surgery (and Kim): www.dohavets.com

Saluki Tree of Life Alliance (STOLA): http://www.stola.org/