Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are puppies & kittens more expensive in Dubai when compared to Europe or USA ?

This question does not have a simple reply. First of all, note that there are no breeders of quality dogs and cats in UAE. Especially not dogs. There is not kennel club and majority expatriate population is not serious about breeding dogs here in UAE. Weather conditions and lack of sufficient open space are other reasons expats do not wish to get into a serious animal breeding program. Islam does not promote dogs as companions, only as long as it serves a purpose such as security, police work etc. Most Emiratis are also financially well off so money is not the motivation. As such, most companion pets are imported into UAE by either expats or licensed pet stores like ours. If you have ever brought in a pet into UAE from UK, Europe, Australia or the US, you are probably not the one to ask this question in the first place. So, if you have not imported a pet, here is the details of the process and costs involved :

Puppies are checked and selected from hundreds of home based breeders in Europe. Breeders of these pups/kittens are not familiar, nor interested to get involved in the export process. For this tedious task, we have partnered with retired or active vets in Europe who must visit different homes every weekend to source the breeds of pets we request. On an average, it take them about a month to gather a shipment of 10 pups from various breeders. The pups must then be boarded at their homes for about 20-30 days while the export paper work is being prepared. Also note, a pet must be 4 months or older before it can enter UAE. Most pets also require rabies titer test involving a blood test & time frame of 3 weeks. In return of all the effort and time and hassle of boarding the pets for a month, our partners must be paid a reasonable profit in order to ensure we get proper, home raised and healthy pets. On top of the price of the pup in Euros, we must pay many fees, medical expenses & air freight & taxes involved in the process of selecting, boarding, examining and finally, importing the pups by air to Dubai.

We encourage our prospective customers to get a quotation from any source before choosing to buy a pet from us. If anyone feels that they can get the pet of our quality, with 30 days health warranty as offered by us and with the luxury of choosing the pet after seeing, feeling & ensuring if it connects with you, we recommend that the customer imports the pet directly, without using our services.

So, the price of our pets includes cost of time, effort & consulting service that we provide in ensuring that you get a ‘home-raised’ pet with good health and social behavior. Needless to say, Dubai is an expensive place to operate a business in terms of retail rents, high trade license fees & even higher costs involved in hiring & accommodating foreign labor.

2. Why do we sell our pets a bit more expensive than other shops ?

WE ARE MOST PROBABLY, THE ONLY ‘PET STORE’ THAT IMPORTS PUPPIES ONLY FROM HOME BASED BREEDERS. WE PROVIDE PROOF OF OUR CLAIM. OUR PUPS’ SOCIAL BEHAVIOR TOWARDS HUMANS IS A CLEAR TESTIMONY OF OUR CLAIM.

Simple, we do not pick up our puppies from ‘puppy mills’ in EU and we WILL NOT support such operations and WILL NOT tolerate any form of cruelty to animals. Do you really want to encourage puppy mills ? Do you know that by ordering a puppy from a ‘internet mail order ‘ company, or buying a pet from a pet store in Dubai without asking for some proof that puppy came from a home based breeder, you may save some money, but you are inadvertently fueling the ‘puppy mill’ production ? We suggest that you do a bit of research on ‘puppy mills’ and decide if you would like to pay for a pet that you do not know the source of. Puppy mills often rely on excessive inbreeding and pups often begin to show genetic problems within months. In breeding means mating of brother and sister to save on the hassles of finding the right stud/blood line. Our pups are guaranteed ‘home-bred’ and are purchased and exported through highly reliable associates in EU. If and whenever necessary, we provide pictures of puppy’s parent usually at ‘breeder’s home. Note that just because a puppy comes with a ‘pedigree document’ does not mean that it is from a good ‘home-raised’ environment. Most home based breeders do not bother to obtain pedigree document for their pups due to cost and hassle involved. However, home bred pups are more healthy & more social with humans than the ones born in puppy farms.

We believe that we are the only pet store owners who have actively taken this initiative to import ‘strictly home bred’ pups. We hope other pet stores will follow suit. Think about it. To know more about the owner of Pets Habitat, read ‘About us’ section. We are confident enough on the quality of our pets that we offer you a 30 day Money Back Guarantee based on any serious health issues. We offer more value for your money and less hassle involved in buying an unhealthy pup with not enough medical scrutiny or observation. Note that vet bills in Dubai will quickly surpass the cost of the pet in case of health issues. So, please don’t be thrifty when it comes to taking home a life long companion.

3. I live in an apartment, what breed of dog or any other pet would you suggest

Choice of a pet will depend on many factors. Such as size of apartment, your working hours, if you have a house-maid or other help in your absence? In general, do not encourage dogs for those expats who work long hours or for single males or females. We suggest a cat for those who live in apartments. Cats are independent, need less attention and care and are relatively easier to manage than dogs. Small pets like a hamster, a birds or a parrot are also suitable.

Basically, a dog should not be left alone at home for longer than 3-4 hours at a stretch. Such dogs will most likely develop behavior problems in order to get your attention. However, in case you are in an apartment and confident that you can arrange for someone to visit, feed, play with & clean after the puppy during your working hours, or at least for 2 hours during your absence, you may opt for some small breed of dogs such as Chihuahua, Yorkshire, Pug, Pomeranian, Maltese, Shih tzu, Havanese, Bolognese, English Bulldog, French Bulldog etc.

You may do more research here. Copy & paste this link in your browser www.dogbreedinfo.com

4. I want a large breed dog like a Husky, German Sheperd, Boxer, Great Dane. Can you import one for me ?

We do not import extra large breeds other than Labradors & golden retrievers due to our belief that most expats do not have enough time or space required for the proper care of these breeds. Moreover, some breeds are just not suitable for this extremely hot and humid weather ( husky, saint Bernard etc.)

5. What if i am relocating to UK or Europe or USA or any other country. Can I take my pet with me ? What is the process ?

Actually, most people think it is extremely hard. In our opinion, it is not that hard, if you can allow a time frame of about 60 days for the paper work to be completed.

Most countries allow pets to be imported but there are certain medical documentation that may be required by your country. Australia is probably the most toughest in its requirements. Main requirement by most countries would be to confirm if the animal is immune to ‘Rabies’ . Thanks to new medical innovations, there are specific blood tests that can reveal if the pet is immune to a certain virus such as rabies. With help of these blood reports, most countries now allow the pet in without or with minimal quarantine period. Best advice we can give is to follow these steps at least 6 months prior to your expected date of departure to your country :

Go online and research about the process & requirements to obtain an ‘import permit’ from the official authorities of destination country.
Get in touch with a reputed vet in UAE and inquire about the Rabies Titer Test Report, if your destination country requires such a test report for issuing import permit.
Ensure that you have the complete vaccination record of your pet certified by a vet. This booklet is given to you at the time of purchase of your pet. Keep it safe, your pet cannot travel without it. If lost, you will need to prepare another one through a vet.
Make sure the pet is micro-chipped. The chip number should be mentioned in the pet vaccination record.
Get the ‘Blood titer report’ ready as most countries would want you to scan and send this report along with the vaccination booklet copy by email to them.
Get an import permit issued either online or take help from a friend or relative in destination country.
Get an export permit from Ministry of Environment & Water. You can do it at the Dubai cargo village on the same floor as Dubai customs office.
Inquire with your airline about the travel costs. Note, it may be far more cheaper if the pet will travel with you in the same flight than compared to sending your pet in a different flight. The latter process may involve services of a pet relocation company which might be more expensive.

6. How do you justify your pet grooming rates ?

Our grooming rates reflect the following factors :

Shortage of skilled staff in this field: Pet grooming in UAE is not as evolved as in the US or Europe. As such, there is a severe shortage of skilled workers who can work professionally as pet groomers. These workers have to be imported, mostly from the Philippines and are quite well paid. Just to give you an idea, we spend AED 15,000+ in one time fees for each employee for the visa and each staff, in order to achieve career growth does not sick for longer than a year. So, the turnaround cost of the staff is also an added factor.

Shortage of pet grooming salons : For you & I , there are several hundred salons in Dubai, perhaps several in each area, varying in rates based on the skill of the hair dresser. However, there are only 4-5 pet grooming salons in Dubai to cover the entire city.

Average time spent : Hair clipping and proper designing of the pet according to breed standard. Pets usually do not stay still and as such many breaks must be taken for the pet to calm down and allow the groomer to do his job. No harsh struggle is allowed since it may hurt the animal. Last but not least, blow drying the pet that consumes nearly 30 minutes or more. Usual time for full procedure is 45-60 minutes. The average time spent on each pet would mean very few appointments in the 8 hour day of the groomer. Overtime/commissions to the groomer are often involved. In order for the salon to cover its rents, staff cost, we must take a minimum of 4-5 appointments a day.

As such, we believe that our rates are reasonable when all costs involved in running our operations is concerned and more so, in return of the quality of work and skill of our groomers. We would like to be compared to Tony & Guy salons, only for pets