Aki has been with us for 6 months now, seems like yesterday when I had to go pick him up from the airport. I was so worried about having a 2 month old puppy go through a 6+ hour connecting flight from Budapest, stopping in Paris then finally Riyadh. I kept wondering if he would be alright, hoping he wasn’t scared, lonely or hungry/thirsty on his way to me.

I got to the airport ahead of time, I really didn’t want to make him wait; since I knew he’d been in a crate during the entire trip (except when he stopped in Paris, they walked him) and I didn’t want him to be in there any longer. However, he ended up waiting as the process wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. After asking around at the airport, it turns out that we had to drive further down to a storage house where they keep food, plants and animals that have been shipped from overseas for further inspection and pick-up.

After finding our way to the place, we go in only for a long procedure and a lot of papers to go through and sign. The place was huge and we had to go to different offices on different floors to get things done. This took us about an hour and a half. Finally, when we were done…we were taken to an enormous and really loud storage room. Even though it was around 10 PM, the place was packed with workers driving pick-up trucks moving crates and boxes around. Not a nice place for a puppy to be in!

I finally get pointed to the right direction, and saw a small crate in the middle of all that ruckus and literally ran to it. Inside I found the cutest little creature ever, Aki! He was calm and quiet till he saw us, he started whining and it just broke my heart! I gave him water right away and he gulped it all down in one go. Some workers helped carry his crate to the car and we went home.

Aki wouldn’t stop whining the whole entire ride, he just wanted to get out of the crate. I sat next to the crate and kept petting him hoping it would help, but not really. So, we get home and I take the crate up to my room and FINALLY get to open it! The first thing he does is run out, sniff around and find his “potty place” -  which I prepared before leaving to pick him up - to do his business.

He was so excited and a bit scared, sudden movements made him flinch. He seemed so overwhelmed that I just thought it’s best if he’d go to bed and let him explore his surroundings tomorrow. I decided to keep him in my room, so that’s where he’ll be sleeping. I gave him his new toys, a blanket, turned the lights off and left - and he went crazy! He whined and howled all night long, he only calmed down when I went to bed myself. The whining continued every night for almost a month.

It was really tough in the beginning, Aki was (and still is) very hyper and happy-go-lucky, so it was hard keeping him under control. And like all puppies, he had a biting problem since he was teething. I was alarmed by that behavior since  I didn’t want the biting to be a permanent habit of his, especially that he is a large breed dog and his bite is quite strong and painful - even as a puppy.

I put a lot of time in correcting his bad behavior and reinforcing any good behavior, sometimes it all seemed pointless and I’d rarely see any good results; and there were time when he would drive me crazy I end up too exhausted to handle him anymore. Training Aki was a real challenge for me due to so many factors:

- It was the first time I take care of a dog all by myself.
- Akitas are known to be stubborn and highly intelligent, so they tend to rebel and get bored easily.
- Not a lot of people are experienced with Akitas.
-  Akitas are very strong and MUST be trained firmly and properly.
- We have a cat (Hafey) and Akitas re natural hunters, which means Aki might chase or attack Hafey unless trained to accept the cat as a member of the family. That alone made me stress so much.
- My mother simply didn’t like him so I had to make sure he does not get too close to her. (honestly, that was the least of my worries)

Things have changed so much now, I suppose Aki and myself just needed time to learn more about each other and adjust. His behavior has improved so much and he is loved by so many people now, no one can resist his charm! I took Aki to a trainer a couple of months after his arrival and that really helped. It was quite expensive though, but worth it. He knows his place now and doesn’t cross the line (most of the time), he was able to accept and respect Hafey and actually wants to play with him - though the difference in size makes us a bit nervous and so we always monitor them when they’re together. He also doubled in size in such a short period and is growing up to be a healthy and happy dog.

The only thing left is to control that appetite of his, he seems to always be hungry! I hope it’s just due to the fact he’s still growing and that he will settle down at some point. Hopefully.
Eitherway, I love him more than anything! He’s a beautiful dog, and a great companion.

I would like to give special thanks to my sister, Shahd. She was so supportive and always there to lend a helping hand. Whenever I felt like giving up, she would always be the one to make me try harder. She also took care of him when I went away for a while without complaining even once. Thank you, Shushu!

I know many people would feel that we should work on human rights or other more urgent matters in Saudi Arabia first, but many of us fail to understand that even if we still need to sort out other major issues;  it doesn’t mean we should disregard everything else. We need to shed light on all the issues facing our community in order to raise the society’s awareness.

Let’s not forget that change takes time, so the sooner we start discussing and realizing the problems we need to solve; the better.

In Saudi Arabia, one of the first Hadeeths by the Prophet (PBUH) taught to children is about a woman who got punished for torturing a cat. As such, one would think we should be one of the most animal friendly places in the world.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.  Dogs are hated and are viewed as “impure”, stray cats are all over the streets and are not safe, black animals are thought to be “evil” in some way, and many people don’t know how to properly care for a pet; or know which animals actually fall under the category of pet and which don’t. Why would anyone keep a tiger, a wild cat or an alligator in their home? They definitely don’t belong there and it’s dangerous to keep them there!

The reason behind all this is simple: Animals need us and we need animals. Why? The well being of our planet is OUR responsibly and that includes everything from keeping our planet healthy and taking care of all the living creatures inhabiting it.

Animals need us because they can’t object or fight for their rights, so they depend on us for making sure they are safe and happy. We also need animals because they are  an essential and vital element in keeping the equilibrium and state of our planet in a good condition.

Furthermore, it’s not only a matter of need. It’s a matter of respect to life too.

My concerns:

1. Riyadh Zoo’s upkeep of their animals is deteriorating every year, and the animals are in bad shape. A zoo is a wonderful and fun educational experience for both children and adults, that’s why we must try to improve its state.
   This might help:
   For more information, read this article by Arab News and join this cause on Facebook.
2. The large number of street cats. There are cats everywhere, and we don’t have many supported animal rescue centers to take care of them.
   This might help:
   Visit Saudi Paws and Open Paws. Both rescue, vaccinate, deworm and clean abandoned or stray animals. They also put them up for adoption or foster care. Join Saudi Paws’ cause on Facebook here.
3. Pet shops. Before buying your pet from a pet shop try to look for other options, check the links above or ask around for any animals that are threatened to be abadoned by their carers for any reason.
4. People keeping pets without commiting to the responsibility of caring for them. You shouldn’t keep pets in your home only for your entertainment or treat them like fashion items. They need love, care and attention.