THE ANGELS ARE FLYING – THE QATAR SALUKIS
Sometimes, Christmas does come in July – or Hannukah or whatever joyous event you celebrate. This is true for three Salukis from Qatar whom we have come to call Mom & 2 pups. We were contacted by two women from Doha who had saved a Saluki mother and two of her pups from starvation. Witnesses said the pregnant bitch had been thrown from a moving car and left to die in the desert. She lived off scraps and delivered her pups. Initially there were six pups, then three. That is when Julie and Kim entered the picture and took over the care of them. They were housed at the local vet while they healed, but Julie and Kim were unable to find suitable permanent homes for them so they contacted STOLA for help. Below, in Julie’s words, is the beginning of their story…..
“It starts when I’m taking my beautiful German shepherd, Foxy, for his evening walk around the building sites of the rapidly developing suburb of Doha, where we live. Without warning, he drags me off to a piece of waste ground at the side of the road, and I soon see why: a group of very young pups have emerged from under the untidy heaps of construction material. I am curious as well, so we move towards them. As we approach, a snarling, barking, saluki mother, barely more than a living skeleton, charges from nowhere, ready to attack even a large and powerful male, making it clear that she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her young. So we back off and continue walking.
The sight of her haunts me. The next day, I go back alone, with some food and water. Its only March, but the daytime temperature can already reach mid 30s. Momma is there at the site, not aggressive now, but clearly exhausted and weak, but no way intending to let me get close. I put down some soft food and move away: she approaches, sniffs, but barely takes a bite. I put some water in a bowl, and again move back: she takes a small drink and withdraws. It’s as if she has gone beyond being able to nourish herself.
I go each day at 3pm, with food and water. Gradually, the puppies gain confidence and eat the small biscuits on the ground, as well as the rice and chicken I take. Momma is a problem, because no matter what food I put down, if her pups want to eat it (and they never say no), she stands back. She makes sure they are fed before feeding herself. Just occasionally, she gets up enough confidence to take pieces of meat from my hand, delicately, but otherwise, she won’t let me get near enough to touch her. If I can distract the pups long enough, she loves to drink the milk I bring.
The old watchman on the site comes each day to see them eat: he keeps a protective eye on the pups, and is amused at their antics. He finds an old safety helmet, hollows out the hard ground, and this becomes their water bowl. He explains, with signs and in broken Arabic, that a car had passed by one day and pregnant Momma had been thrown out. She’d just stayed in that place to give birth to her pups, keeping them safe by hiding them under the rubble.
Within a short time, the six pups become three, and he tries to tell me where the others went, but can only explain that someone took them. I don’t know who, or why.
One day I go and the pups are playing alone, so I drive around the area looking for Momma. I’m starting to worry when suddenly she appears, I swear she looks so happy when she recognizes me, and gracefully races at full speed at the side of my car, back to home base. The pleasure I get from seeing her well and almost playful is immense.
My friend Annette gives up her lunch break to take some pictures for a local website: maybe someone will be able to adopt the family. But I’m being over optimistic: dog lovers in Qatar tend to have dogs already, many being rescued from the streets. Kim, the manager of the local vets practice, see the photos and immediately gets in contact offering to help. She comes to see them, and, appalled by their plight, resolves to find them safe homes. Kim is a woman of action (she’s already taken in many other strays) and we plan to catch the family within a few days.
Life starts to take on a pleasurable routine. The 3pm visit becomes the highlight of my day: the pups get excited, bouncing towards me when they see my car, Momma is still cautious, friendly and looking far more lively, as the pups now depend less on her for their food.
But Doha is a perilous place for stray dogs. Other strays have started to hang around the family, attracted by the food, water and security of a pack. I’m walking nearby one evening, with Foxy, when I hear shouting: a gang of teenage boys are baiting the family by throwing rocks at them. Momma, by nature such a gentle and peaceful spirit, defends her young, charging towards them, snarling, barking but plainly terrified; the boys then retreat in panic onto a busy main road. They collect themselves and retaliate. The situation is clearly dangerous, not only for the dogs. The watchman is helpless to confront these young locals; I also keep my distance, partly because I’m fearful for Foxy and partly because I don’t want to escalate the situation, Even if I calm things now, the boys could take their revenge when I’m gone. I’m sick with apprehension as I don’t know if the family will be safe and alive when I next go. I let Kim know that the situation is critical. The puppies can easily be killed for sport.
The next day, I’m nervous as I drive towards the site. Will they all be safe? Two pups emerge from their hiding place. Please let the other one be safe. I try to steel myself, if they’re gone, they’re gone…Then, as the food hits the ground, No 3 comes running all safe and without a care in the world.
I’ve tried to keep my visits low profile, but today one of the neighbours approaches me asking if these are my dogs. I say no, I’m just feeding the mother and babies. He explains that his wife and children are afraid of them as they are near the house, and if I can’t do anything to ease the situation, he’ll have to call the police.
In Doha, when the police are called to deal with stray dogs, they don’t trap them, they drive around and shoot them from their cars. As they may not be accurate shots, dogs are pursued, injured and terrorized before they are finally killed. It’s a kind of target practice. This will be done in broad daylight, witnessed by whoever is around, and the process can last a couple of hours. Pets can also be caught up in these indiscriminate massacres.
So Kim, and Mohammed, her assistant, spring into action. The first night we sedate and catch two of puppies. Even sedated, saluki puppies can run like the wind and have learned that its best not to get caught. Momma is nowhere to be seen. On Friday, members of the local rescue group come with the intention of catching the whole group of strays: but they are nowhere to be seen, so only the remaining boy pup is taken into safe keeping at the vets. Kim talks to the neighbour, and reassures him that we are taking action. He doesn’t want to see the dogs shot, but here there is no other solution provided by the city council or the government. He’s a reasonable person and agrees not to call the police for a couple of days to give us chance to clear the rest of the dogs away.
The watchman wasn’t around when we took the boy pup, and when I next see him, he’s clearly distressed. He tells me that the 3rd puppy (‘Thalatha’) is lost, that Momma was howling and calling to him all night, and he’s looked everywhere but can’t find him. When I explain that we have him safe in the clinic, tears of relief stream down his face. Even this man, who lives in deep poverty and appalling conditions himself, understands the need to love and protect these gentle creatures.
Next day, I walk past with Foxy, Momma approaches. The other dogs aren’t around. As she goes back to her bed ie a piece of sacking, lies down and howls the most haunting lonely song, crying for her lost of her babies.
So, we now have to catch Momma and reunite the family. The first batch of sedatives, in her food, seem to make her groggy, but she wont be touched. We wait, and decide to give her more. She lies down and may go to sleep, but as we approach, she jumps up and staggers off into the night. We’re concerned because if she runs towards the road, disoriented… To cut a long story short, three more doses of sedatives, and she finally cannot move from the spot where she stands, gives up the struggle, and lies down to sleep. For the first time, I get chance to stroke her. She doesn’t understand that she’ll soon be out of danger.
After inoculating them all, Kim and Mohammed take her to a farm where a young Qatari man is helping by offering a temporary haven to strays Kim brings. Momma is overjoyed as she is finally reunited with her pups, and for a time the family is happy and content to be together. She is treated with kindness, fed, walked and is slowly learning to trust people. The puppies return to the vets so people can see them. Boy pup, who has never seemed well or put on weight, sadly, dies.
Tazi, the brown girl, is fostered with me, as she wasn’t eating in her pen, and seemed listless and depressed. She’s now settled in with my other 5 dogs and is amazing: happy, fast, bouncy, fearless, cute, soft, gentle and destructive. So smart, its scary.
The cream girl is still at the vets: happy but needing to be fostered/adopted soon, as she needs exercise and the chance to develop her Saluki nature.
These are the lucky ones: a seemingly endless stream of abandoned, starved and abused Salukis arrive at the rescue shelter, and many more never even make it to that safe haven, but live and die on the streets and in the desert. If they aren’t hit by cars, they can starve or die of thirst.
Cherie at STOLA has been unbelievably generous & active in finding potential foster families/adopters in the States, and we are trying to find ways to get Momma and them over there, so their story can have a wonderful ending.”
We are so happy to report that their story does, indeed, have a wonderful ending. By working closely with Julie and Kim our amazing adoption counselor Lori was able to locate an angel who wanted to adopt all three of the Salukis, Mom and the two pups. By arranging for volunteers to fly with the Salukis, Mom Saluki and one pup came to the U.S. and were transported from the airport to their new home by another wonderful volunteer. Once the Salukis were airborne, Julie contacted us saing “the angels are flying” and we did extensive nail biting until the flight was safe on the ground and we learned they were fine. Expenses for this trio were covered by private donations, separate from STOLA funds. We are now locating another volunteer to fly with the second pup. Mom & pups have been through hell and now they deserve the wonderful life they will have with plenty of food and free from taunting and danger.
After so much work and nail biting until the girls arrived, it was so gratifying to receive a report from their new home:
The girls are just incredible I do not know how you pulled all this off..one day in Doha now relaxing at their new home..they are the best behaved Salukis I ever saw….they rode home with me in the back seat of the car…they are gentle kind tail waggers…they love each other, love people… whoever looked after them did a wonderful job….and they loved to be cuddled and kissed…they are more than I ever hoped for……
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK!
To help with the Middle Eastern rescue Saluki situation we have set up a Facebook Causes page with a two-fold purpose. We are trying to gain international attention for the plight of Middle Eastern rescue Salukis in the hope of increasing awareness of this growing problem, and in gaining help for these dogs. We realize that we can’t do it alone. We need the aid of other rescue groups and Saluki clubs to get involved. We are also trying to raise funding specifically for the Middle Eastern Salukis. To date, all costs required by the Middle Eastern Salukis who have come to the U.S. have been funded either by the Middle Eastern groups or by private donations. Please visit the Facebook page to learn more. If you can donate $5 or more please help us reach our goal.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/280093/56839785?m=8267094b
Facebook Cause – Save Middle Eastern Saluki Hounds
Posted by stola 
To help with this growing problem STOLA has created a Middle Eastern Saluki Cause page on Facebook to spread this news around the world. 
Posted by stola 