Kuwait’s Stray Dog Problem: Why the Laws Exist but Aren’t Working

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I came across this today and it stopped me mid-scroll, because if you’ve lived here a while, you’ve probably noticed the same thing I have: stray dogs hanging around empty plots, industrial areas, sometimes even residential streets late at night. Turns out Kuwait actually has laws to deal with this. They’re just not being enforced.

That’s the core point veterinarian and public health expert Dr Abdulaziz Al-Ateeqi made in remarks to Al-Qabas. He didn’t say Kuwait needs new legislation. He said Kuwait needs to actually use the legislation it already has.

⚡ The short version

Kuwait has had a dog ownership law since 1969 (Law No. 9), covering licensing, registration, vaccination and control in public places.
A 2015 law (No. 112) adopting the GCC Animal Welfare Law adds rules against abandoning animals that depend on humans.
Dr Al-Ateeqi says the real problem is implementation: no effective system currently tracks or licenses dogs the way the law requires.
He’s calling for a full review of veterinary staffing, facilities, databases and animal market oversight, plus a