The FAQs of it all

You bet! Just about any animal at all.

As with our boarding and daycare services, we relocate all types of animal, all over the world, into and out of the UAE, including domestic pets of any kind and exotics, large and small.

Good question. Read our document Relocating Pets into the UAE, downloadable on our Pet Imports page. If you have more questions after that, just get in touch.

Definitely yes! For sure! You bet!

Well... maybe. Read on.

There are two parts to any relocations process: 1) the export; 2) the import; and they need to be seen as distinct processes because, in fact, they are (although both sides coordinate with each other). We can definitely assist you with the import side if you're coming into the UAE, and we can definitely assist you with the export side if you're leaving the UAE. And that's because we, obviously, are in the UAE.

Right, now that's clear.

However, there always needs to be someone (you, a friend or another relocations agent) handling things on the "other" side of a relocation, which means that if you're importing into the UAE, someone will have to handle things in your country of origin. If you're exporting from the UAE, someone in your country of destination will have to handle things upon the arrival of your pet. There must always be a physical presence on both sides for the handing of it all.

And so, you can of course engage us to handle the UAE-based stuff (please do!), but in the other country, you will have to have yourself, a friend or another agent handle that side of things. If you're going to use another agent, that's when we can step in to help with both sides of the shipment - although the other agent will be doing the physical work required at the other end, you may wish to deal with only one company for the management and payment of the whole process. In which case, we can manage that for you. There will of course be an additional management fee, but you might be happier having to deal with only one company, including all payments.

And by the way, if you do want to find another agent on your own, in your non-UAE location, check out IPATA.org, where you'll be able to search for pet/animal shippers all over the world.

First of all, to be clear, and VERY importantly, there must always be water available before, during and after the journey. This said, don't overly concern yourself if your pet is not drinking huge amounts before you take him/her to the airport just because you've given it to him/her. Let your pet behave normally, drink as he or she wants, and relax. They key here is that water must always be available (which is why all travel boxes have a water bowl in it).

As to food, however, it's actually best that most animals (including dogs and cats) travel on an empty (or close to empty) stomach. We understand that you worry your pet will be hungry, especially if it's a long-haul journey, but we ask that you trust this bit of very important advice:

• Do not feed your pet for at the very least 4 hours before you drop him or her off at the airport for departure, and preferably longer. At DKC, we generally aim for about 8-10 hours.

Unlike human beings who need (or feel they need) to eat regularly, many types of animal, including dogs and cats and others (though there are exceptions to this), are very capable of and even comfortable with going without food for a good 24 hours. Of course we agree that this is not what you want to do every day but in an air-travel situation, we promise you that all your pets and animals will be just fine. In fact, they will be better than if you do feed them because of the:

• Dramatically reduced risk of toileting (urine and faeces) in their travel box, which means they stay cleaner and more comfortable overall.
• Reduced likelihood of nausea/vomiting in case they have any kind of reaction to the movement of their crate or as a result of anxiety (though it should be said that vomiting under any circumstances is quite rare).

Sound scary? Try not to worry too much. This approach really does work very well indeed.

In almost all cases, absolutely not.

We very strongly recommend against tranquilizing or sedating animals for flight, as does just about every professional shipper worldwide ~ in fact, many airlines will not even accept an animal if it has been so treated.

The main problem is that tranquilizers and sedatives affect the respiratory and circulatory systems by slowing them down quite a bit. While this is almost never a problem in normal circumstances, at altitude and in aircraft air-pressure, it can lead to physiological distress.

We are not saying that it is never done, and of course we are not saying it always leads to problems, but because there is a widely recognised increase in health risk, even if minimal, the usual approach is to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

When is it absolutely necessary? Well, basically you need to ask: Is the stress my pet will feel be so extremely serious that he/she will probably experience health problems while in transit, such that the risk of medication is actually less than the risk of anxiety?

Some people are so worried about their pets and other animals that this question becomes difficult for them to answer, but our experience is that in 99.9% of the cases, it is the human being who is suffering the most anxiety, albeit from understandable worry. You'd be amazed to see just how casual so many travelling animals are once they've arrived at the other end of the journey.

Give it all some thought, speak to your vet, and please be cautious.

Easy! You contact us! Or... you do it yourself. Either way, you can start by heading over to our Pet Imports page and reading our very long, very comprehensive document, "Relocating Pets into the UAE".

That page in our website and that document (and other documents you'll find there too) will answer most, if not all, your questions about the requirements for import, Ministry charges and DKC's fees. Once you've read through it, these FAQs should fill in some of the gaps, if any. And of course, you're always welcome to just contact us.

The relocation of your pet always has two sides to it: the export and the import. We can only control the import side of things if you're coming into the UAE, so you'll need to talk to an agent (you can start your search for agents in your area at the IPATA.org website) in your country of origin to find out more about the requirements over there and how long it will take. On this end, however, we like to ask for two weeks lead time, so get crackin', will ya!

Definitely not. Sorry.

In fact, it is very important that you trust this information and do not doubt it as a result of hearing otherwise from some other source. All knowledgeable pet relocators will tell you the same, correct, thing: Animals of all kinds must arrive in the UAE by cargo only.

You can get this permit yourself or through an agent like us; in either case, import permits are sourced from the UAE Ministry of Environment & Water (MOEW).

For more detail on all this, see our Pet Imports page.

Well, that depends on whether you handle this yourself or through an agent, of course. If you do it yourself, you'll need to cover basic charges such as the cost of the import permit, Ministry Vet charges and Customs fees. If you get an agent involved to handle all the work for you, well... you get the idea.

See our Pet Imports page for full details, including a document there called Relocating Pets into the UAE which provides all government charges and DKC's service charges.

30 days. There, wasn't that easy? 

The best place to get this information is on our Pet Imports page and in our document Relocating Pets into the UAE.

Research and reading is so much, don't you agree?

The UAE no longer accepts tattoos, so you will have to have your pet microchipped. In fact, the microchip number will have to be provided in your application for the import permit.

Once the flight lands, all animals (and your pet, of course) are the first to be off-loaded from the aircraft and are taken to the dedicated animal-holding area in the cargo terminal at the airport (Dubai Cargo Village). Then the paper shuffling and related work begins, which means that at this stage your pet is not ready to be taken home. The Ministry Vet now needs to check your pet and all the relevant documentation (vaccination records, import permit, health certificate, etc.), and the clearance process has to be completed.

Although the amount of time to get all this done does vary from shipment to shipment and day to day, depending on a number of factors influencing airport activities, we tell our customers that the entire clearance process takes anywhere between 2 and 5 hours from the time the flight lands to finally having your pet at home. And this is true whether you are doing the clearance yourself or having us handle it for you. 

How do we say this nicely?

No, sorry. When you give us responsibility to clear your pet through Customs upon arrival in the UAE, we ask that you do not meet us at the airport for the clearance process. The clearance process is time-consuming and at times tedious, so we know from experience that having eager and sometimes anxious customers with us can actually make the process more stressful for everyone involved, including us, you and airport staff. We know this is not exactly the response you're looking for but we ask that you trust us to get through the whole process as quickly as possible and we do promise to get your pet to you without delay. There is also the matter of our access rights to secure areas of the airport, which you would not have.

There are also customers who ask us to handle their pet's clearance but to then hand over their pet to them while still at the airport, just outside Dubai Cargo Village. This too we avoid because, again, it places unnecessary stress on the clearance process and those involved to know that you all are eagerly awaiting that hand-over. In the end, the clearance process always takes between 2 and 5 hours, and the best way to get through that time is to just relax, let us do our work for you, and wait for us to contact you when we're done.

And remember, most arrivals are in the middle of the night, so wouldn't you rather be at home, relaxing or sleeping, until we're done?

We have a number of options you can choose from regarding how and when you will be reunited with your pet once we've finished clearing him or her for you, including:

• Meeting us at our facility after the clearance. In this case, we SMS or call you when we are finished and we meet you at our facility which is just 10 minutes away from the airport, even in the middle of the night.
• Delivering your pet to your home immediately after clearance. When we're about to leave the airport, we'll call you to let you know we're on our way to you.
• Collecting your pet yourself from our facility the next morning, once we've opened to our customers for the usual workday. Take a look at our Two-Legged Timings.

Yes we will, any time of day or night, weekday or weekend. There is a charge but yes we will. Just ask us for details.

The weather in the UAE is beautiful for much of the year, but yes, for about 6 months of the year it is indeed hot or extremely hot (and often very humid). The airlines and airport handling crew know this and procedures are in-place to ensure that all animals are safe from that heat.

This means that upon arrival they are always off-loaded from the aircraft first and quickly taken to the dedicated animal-holding area of the airport in Dubai Cargo Village, which is fully air-conditioned. It also means that the vehicles used for transporting animals from the aircraft to the animal area are also air-conditioned.

And for exports, the same is true, just in reverse.

In other words, we promise you, there is nothing to worry about.

Tough one! Wish we could give you a straight answer. In fact, though, depending on which country you're travelling to, there will be different requirements and so different things you'll need to do on this end before you leave. The best place to start is to contact us  ~ sooner rather than later just to be safe ~ but if you're set on doing things yourself, look around this website and search on the internet for the specifics.

To give you some idea of the timelines involved, for a destination such as Canada, for example, it can take less than a week to prepare everything (although that is a bit rushed and we would normally look at a couple of weeks). Conversely, for a destination like Australia or New Zealand it take as long as 6-7 months. Ouch!

Well... to be honest, we've never needed to do this before because air-travel has always been best. But we're ready to talk!

Transit Care is the care provided to your pet or other animals when "in transit" from one location to another. In most cases, this means a transit stop. For example, if you're pet is travelling between Montreal and Dubai, a common route would include two flights - one from Dubai to Amsterdam, then another from Amsterdam to Montreal (or vice versa, of course), with a rest period in between those two flights. While in Amsterdam, your pet is given care, walked, fed, watered, checked for well-being, etc.

As you probably know, the UAE, and in particular Dubai, is growing in importance as a global cargo, animal and passenger transit hub, with a resulting increase in the number of animals each year which find themselves stopping over in Dubai for several hours or longer as they await their onward flights to their final destination. And with the growing prominence of Emirates and the development of Dubai International Airport, this trend is very likely to continue in the future.

In short, "transit care" is the care your pet and other animals get by specialist handlers while in transit.

Glad you asked!

Dubai Kennels & Cattery (DKC) is the official and exclusive Animal Handler for Emirates Airline and dnata (and all airlines served by dnata) at Dubai International Airport (DXB). This means that we provide all care to all animals (pets, exotics, large and small mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, etc... but not horses at this time) which pass through DXB at any time of day or night, every day of the year.

Now, not all animals or types of animal always require "care" per se, but as and when needed, it is we who provide it. This will include the basics, such as water and food, but also inspection of travel crates and their repair or replacement as required; medical attention if needed; procurement and processing of special transit documents, etc. More than this, we are responsible for the general and overall monitoring and assessment of these animals, making decisions on a case-by-case basis as to their needs and providing those needs.

In other words, the whole shebang.

First of all, we do not mean that we are in some way in charge of the airport! Goodness! No, that's not at all what we mean. Sounds great, but no. 

This is what we mean: In addition to providing "Transit Care" for animals in transit through Dubai International Airport (DXB), we are also responsible for the overall well-being and safety of any animal (except horses!) at DXB, even if those animals are not transiting but instead are importing or exporting. In other words, although we have our own import and export shipments of animals, there are obviously many other imports and exports of animals into/out of DXB which are not DKC shipments ~ instead they are shipments being handled by pet owners themselves, other shipping agents, etc. Once these animals come into the airport, either after arrival or while awaiting departure, most of them are cleared or depart without requiring any care or attention of any kind because everything is in order with them and no special circumstances arise. However, when there is a need for any additional attention, we are the ones who handle all that. Furthermore, and in this spirit, we are responsible for general "oversight", in the sense that whether or not we are called in by Emirates or dnata to provide additional necessary attention, we will simply keep an eye on all animals in the AVI (i.e. animal) areas of the airport to ensure things are alright; if any action is required, we take it.

In truth, the vast majority of shipments require no additional attention by us because these animals are being properly handled by the shippers, pet owners and airlines. For what it's worth, nevertheless, we are around anyway. 

Definitely not. No, DKC is only responsible for the care and oversight of animals once/while they are under the purview of the airport.

This means that the owner of a pet or other animal, or any other shipper/forwarding agent for any animal shipment is entirely responsible for the relocation of that animal with regard to the preparation work that goes into shipping animals, either on the import or export side of things, until those animals are handed over to the airline at DXB. We do not interfere with any of that and we certainly would not try to take credit for anyone else's good work.

Our role is only with respect to the care and management of these animals while at the airport, after hand-over from the owner/shipper to airport officials, in the secure areas of the airport - and that's all.

Unless, of course, the shipment also happens to be one of our own many shipments we do each year. 

Good question. Take a look at A lot about Travel Boxes.

Important question.

Take a look at A lot about Travel Boxes and Measuring Your Dog, and download the helpful documents on these pages.

Additionally, because of the complexity of this subject, please do contact us for a conversation. There's more to this subject than you might think, and the decision you make will affect whether or not an airline will accept your pet for shipments and, yes, whether or not your pet stays safe. And yes, it will also affect the cost of the relocation.

You bet! Just about any animal at all.

And we have quite a lot of knowledge about these animals too, so it's not just a matter of sticking them somewhere in our facility and hoping for the best. We've spent a lot of time and energy over the years making sure that we have handlers who have real knowledge and experience in dealing with all manner of domestic pet and exotics, including and especially appropriate feeding and enclosures/spaces for them. And if there's anything we don't know, we have excellent contacts in the realm of wildlife husbandry and care who we can talk to.

Take a look here: Other Creatures Too

Now that's an important question!

During more than half the year, you can book anytime, even last minute, and we'll be able to take your pet in. No problem.

During about 5 months of the year, things are a bit more complicated than that. Take a look at Gotta Book Early!

Dogs in daycare with us basically follow the same routine throughout the day that all our boarders do, including playtime in our large yards, mixing with other dogs (if you let us), food (of course!) and generally lots and lots of excitement while in their enclosures because of all the other dogs around and the many many many staff we have constantly checking in and constantly around and about. Why don't you come and see for yourself?

Our Two-Legged Timings are 9am-4pm, Sun-Thur, which of course is not perfect for most people. So we even work out a schedule for those of you who need to drop off and pick up outside these hours.

The very best way to answer that question is for you to come meet us and take a look for yourself. In fact, that's what we always really strongly recommend.

But that's not always easy to schedule, is it. We know. So you should definitely look at the images here and elsewhere around our site because there are lots of pictures for you see, and this should help a great deal in understanding what you're pet will experience.

In short, though, our enclosures are like this:

• All our dog enclosures have an indoor and an outdoor run, and almost all our cat enclosures do too, and your pet decides where he or she wants to be. Those few cat enclosures which don't have an outdoor run, we try to reserve for cats which need or like to be inside most of the time anyway.
• All indoor runs are air-conditioned.
• Cat enclosures are multi-storied, with shelves and trapdoors and bedding and toys and all.
• All dog enclosures have raised Kuranda beds and snug-rugs.
• Cat enclosures range in size. The smallest space we have is an indoor portion of a run which is L:0.8m x W:0.8m x H:1m. The largest space we have is an outdoor portion of a run which is L:4.2m x W:1.1m x H:2.2m.
• Dog enclosures also range in size. Our smallest enclosures are 1.5m x 1.5m both indoor and outdoor. Our largest are 2.2m x 1.8m indoor and 3m x 2.5m outdoor. And there are a couple of sizes in between.

Definitely yes.

We love giving every possible opportunity we can to our dogs to mix and socialize with others, so when you arrive just let us know if this is something you and your dog would like ~ we'll make it happen. Safely of course, with lots of monitoring and control, but as much as possible. We're always evaluating all the dogs in our care to see which are good candidates for sharing playtime (and even enclosures) with others, and then putting the right dogs together. If you want us to do this with your dog, then great. If not, that's just fine too.

Take a look here for more info on this: Love... but other stuff too/Socializing

Well, yes and no.

Your cat will stay in a separate and secure enclosure, so there won't be any other cats in there with him or her. But because it's a cattery, we obviously have a lot of cats staying in a lot of enclosures, all of which are next to each other. So, although your cat will be in her/his own enclosure, there will indeed still be lots of other cats around.

This said, if you have more than one cat and want them to be in the same enclosure together, then perfect! (Did you know that there's a 20% discount for enclosure-sharing?)

Yes they can!!... maybe.

We have a small number of enclosures which are part of the catteries but not too far from the kennels and which, most importantly, are the right size and configuration for a small dog. Each year we have quite a few customers indeed who ask for this and in most cases it works very very nicely.

Take a look at The Kennels, The Catteries & The Kennatteries.

You're probably not going to like this much, but no, sorry.

The reason is that these cats can be very territorial and as a result tend to mark their territory rather aggressively which, as you can imagine, isn't something that works too well in a community of cats (even though all the cats are of course in their own enclosures). And whooohooo!, the smell!

If you're really in need of boarding for your unneutered cat, you might consider neutering before you leave. If you're in a rush with a sudden unexpected trip, we can manage the neutering and post-operative care for you.

From about end of September to April, all your dogs get into our exercise yards 2-3 times a day for a good 15 minutes or so each time, and if we have your permission they'll be playing with other dogs too. For those dogs with especially high energy levels or any good need for more of this time, or if you ask us to, because the weather is nice we just let 'em stay in the yards for much of the day.

During the hotter summer months, just as when your dog is home with you, we need to be careful about being outside in the heat for too long. So they all still get out 2-3 times a day but the runs in the yard are for shorter periods of time, as we are very watchful to make sure the heat is not having an impact. And of course we don't leave the dogs out in the yards all day at this time of year for the very same reason.

This all said, all our enclosures are indoor/outdoor with a/c, and designed so that all the dogs can see each other and feel part of the community. So even when they're in their enclosures, they're still very active and generally having a very social time. Read more about this: Love... but other stuff too ~ take a look at the section called Socializing and Socializing ~ Part 2.

You just had to ask that question, didn't you!?

Sorry, no we don't. We'd love to, but we don't. Can we offer you a glass of water instead? 

Yes we will. Our staff are well trained for this and we always check for such things with all dogs, cats and birds... and anyone else that might need it. (Yes, yes, of course we'll clip yours too... but only if ask you real nice.) We won't do this without your permission, however, so just ask us to and/or we'll let you know if we think it's needed.

AND... no charge!

No you don't. We provide everything.

We rely primarily on dry Eukanuba, Iams, Royal Canin and Hill's, and also Pedigree and Whiskas wet... and also chicken, tuna and rice when needed or specifically wanted.

Of course, if you have a special diet (your own concoction or a veterinary prescription) we can do that too... although for these there might be additional charges.

To learn more, take a look here: Love... but other stuff too/Special Diets.

Sorry about this, but no. Food for your pets is, of course, a cost for us but another very significant cost factor is the actual time, effort and resource to do the feeding itself. With all the pets we have in our care, special feeding, even if it's your own food, requires that much more involvement.

We hope you understand.

Yes we do. Take a look at our price list.

No and yes, depending.

A little bit of weight gain or loss is very common. It doesn't happen to all pets during every stay in a boarding facility, but it does happen. Pet owners, understandably, often immediately feel that this must mean their pet has not been taken care of properly, but in fact it is more important to look at the entire context and the extent of the loss or gain.

Commonly, pets staying in a boarding facility are not eating exactly as they do at home. They may or may not be eating exactly the same food (depending on the arrangements you've made with the kennel or cattery), and even if they are, they may not be eating exactly the same amounts because, despite every effort to get it just right, human beings differ and the precise amounts they provide may be a little different than you do when your pet is at home. So, all this small change can lead to weight gain or loss, in and of itself.

More important and relevant than this, however, is that pets are generally much more active in a boarding facility than they are at home. Now wait! We're not saying that you aren't taking good care of your pet by not giving him or her lots of activity. No, not at all. It's just that in a boarding facility, especially one that has a good number of staff and lots of other animals around, the whole environment is very stimulating and there is a lot of exercise for dogs and lots of other general interest for both dogs and cats. And this keeps them more active and generally more stimulated, even if they're in their enclosures. And this, in turn, often leads to a bit of weight loss.

And one more thing: In many cases, a little bit of weight loss for dogs and cats is a good thing and although we have many customers who do worry about this, we also have a great many who are pleased to see that their pet has lost a little weght in our care because, in fact, they came in to us a little overweight.

But of course, everyone has a different perception of this, and if the weight of your pet is not medically bad, one way or the other, then we do try to maintain the weight your pet comes in with.

This all said, too much weight gain or loss IS a problem and if you feel there has been too much either way, we truly hope you'll talk to us about this. We monitor this aspect of your pet's health very closely, with a weight check when they first arrive for boarding and then regular checking every two weeks, or more often if we perceive a potential problem. And if there is a problem, we always let you know about it while you're away and take action when required by adjusting feeding or even consulting your vet.

Simply, yes. Even when we are closed to our two-legged customers, we have staff on-site every single day of the year. Full stop.

Furthermore, because we have staff living on-site, there are always people around, even at night. And because of our relocations work, which takes place mostly at night and just about every night, we have at least a couple of hours spread throughout the night when things are going on at DKC. Now, in fairness, we're not actually working with all the animals during this night as we do during the day, but after all folks, your pets need to sleep too!

No, we don't have a vet on-site.

However, that really should not worry you. We have extremely good relationships with all the vets in town and, more importantly perhaps, we have emergency, 24-hour services from our preferred vet every single day of the year, so if anything is ever wrong we have the resources that you and your pet need, including phone and email communications, and a less-than-15-minute-drive to their clinic.

Furthermore, in almost all cases when a pet is needing veterinary attention, it is not an emergency situation, so we will be able to book appointments with your preferred vet if you wish, and we will also of course always let you know in advance that we are doing that unless for some reason you are unreachable and it cannot wait.

Finally, because of the way we work on a daily basis, we almost always discover very early if there are any developing problems, which also does a lot to keep your pet well and, most importantly, to avoid emergency situations almost all the time.

Pictures? Yesssssiiiiirrreeee! We like to call it Pics & Videos of the DKC Litter. Take a look!

Webcam? No, sorry about that.

No, we do not serve alcohol at Dubai Kennels & Cattery! 

"Kennel hangover" is a rather common thing... and a good one, if we do say so ourselves! You see, there is so much activity and general stimulation in a good kennels, that when your dog gets home it is very common for him or her to be a little tired for a couple of days ~ all that running around, socializing and barking their heads off with all their kennel neighbours (watch for that hoarsey-throat!), and no sitting around vegging in front of the TV!

So don't worry but do keep an eye. In almost all cases, this is just a happy, if a little tired, dog. If he or she continues being a little down or lethargic for more than a day or so, please do let us and your vet know. 

We're on the road from approximately 10am to mid-afternoon, Sunday-Thursday. We don't offer this service on Friday or Saturday. (See our Two-Legged Timings.)

We have a lot of customers asking for very specific appointments but this is often not possible, although we do try if we can, because each day presents its own unpredictable schedules, number of home-visits, number of pets and... traffic!

However, we always call approximately 30 minutes before we get to you while we're doin' the rounds, so do feel free to go about your day as you need to and then, when you hear from us, you can return to your home to meet us.

We use converted passenger vans (such as the Toyota Hiace) which have been heavily modified for our pet collection and delivery service. Take a look at Collection & Delivery.

Now, as we've said, these are people-passenger vans, not cargo vans; this is an important distinction because passenger vans have windows all round the vehicle so that plenty of light gets in, and also high-quality air-conditioning throughout. Furthermore, we've added fans to create even better air circulation.

All the seats were removed, of course, and replaced by metal flooring with embedded hooks, so when we put your pet and her/his travel box into the van, we can use strong ties to secure the boxes in-place.

And finally, there's no partition between our handlers who are driving the vans and your pets in the back, which means we always know what's going on and your pets aren't isolated at all during the trip.

And just so you know, we transport any animal in these vehicles, not just your dogs and cats.

Oh, and one more thing: We do not have "drivers". The same Animal Handlers who take care of your pets when in our care are the ones who will come to your home for Collection & Delivery.

Yep. Outside Dubai... and outside the UAE if need be. Contact us for pricing.

Take a look at our Two-Legged Timings.

We have staff on-site 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have staff actually working from 6am-7pm, and even sporadically throughout the night because of our relocations work.

BUT(!) we are closed to our customers on Friday entirely and most of Saturday. Take a look at our Two-Legged Timings.

Nope. We open to our customers at 9am and close at 4pm, and we're busy busy busy the whole day long!

We genuinely love having people just drop by and look around. If you want to see our facility or ask questions, meet the staff, see where your pet will live while you're away... then just come on down any time during our Two-Legged Timings.

If you want to actually reserve boarding space for your pet, then yes, you do need to contact us in advance. How far in advance? Well, that depends on the time of year. Take a look at Gotta Book Early!

If you've already booked your pet in for boarding, then you can also just come in whenever you're ready on the day during our Two-Legged Timings (or of course you can arrange for Collection & Delivery).

If, however, you want to relocate your pet into or out of Dubai, then we do need you to contact us to make an appointment... but we promise, we won't make that difficult.

Yes it is safe. In fact, thousands of pets are imported into the UAE each year; the vast majority do perfectly well here, regardless of the breed.

What about those which don't do well? Fundamentally, when things go wrong (such as dehydration and/or heat stroke), it is about how these pets are managed rather than their innate inability to cope with the heat or the fact of the heat being prohibitive. Yes, the UAE is VERY hot for at least 4 or 5 months of the year, and yes you must be careful about this during these times, but isn't it extremely cold in January in Canada? Or hot in Texas in July? Aren't there any number of locations around the world with extreme temperatures at certain times of the year? And aren't there pets in these places too? Of course there are.

You should be aware of the dangers of the heat here, but if you're thoughtful about this, you should not be worried or overly concerned. Do some research on the internet and talk to your UAE-based vet for guidance about things to watch out for, and at the most basic level be aware of such things as not leaving your dog or cat outside during the hottest times of the year for too long, and always make sure there is plenty of water readily available, even if you're going for a walk.

There is more to learn about this and plenty of information available from any number of sources. But yes, it is safe to bring your pet.

Definitely yes.

The UAE has everything here you could wish for by way of quality pet care services. As with any industry, not every one of them is the best, but if you look around and look into it all, we know you'll find what you need.

The UAE is not yet the perfect place on Earth in this way. But don't be put off!

Here's the bad news:

• There are no public dog parks.
• Dogs are not allowed in the public parks that do exist (and there are not too many of these anyway).
• Dogs are not allowed on the beaches.
• Dogs must be on a lead and under control when on streets with you (but this probably goes without saying).
• Certain breeds are required by the local municipalities to be muzzled.
• There are pet-friendly residences (apartments and villas) but they are not always easy to find.

Yes and no.

It is actually a legal requirement that all dogs and cats are registered. However, this is not really enforced in any meaningful way. So ultimately it is up to you.

This said, we strongly recommend it. It is not expensive and we know of many cases of lost pets being found because of it.

You'll find a search box located top-right on every page. Just enter whatever word or phrase you're looking for and let the website do the rest.

To help you find what you're looking for, you can use "wildcards" within specific words, or double quotation marks ("") if you're looking for a particular phrase.

A wildcard is a character that may be used in a search term to represent one or more other characters. The two most commonly used wildcards are:

1. A question mark (?) can be used to represent a single alphanumeric character in a search expression. For example, searching for the term "ho?se" (without the quotation marks) would yield results which contain such words as "house" and "horse".

2. An asterisk (*) can be used to specify zero or more alphanumeric characters. For example, searching for the term "h*s" (without the quotation marks) would yield results which contain such words as "his", "homes", "houses", "horses", "horticulturalists" and "herbaceous". It's usually best to avoid using the asterisk as the first character in a search string. A search term consisting of a lone asterisk and no other alphanumeric characters will retrieve every record from the database.

And these wildcards are available for use in our website... ain't that just wild?!

Double-quotation marks ("") around a search phrase will result in the exact phrase you've typed, and nothing else. So for example, if you search for the words "relocating pets" without the double-quotes, your results will include any page with either word anywhere on the page but not necessarily together. However, if you search for this phrase with the double-quotes, then your results will include pages only with the exact phrase.