Dubai has a purpose-built home for its stray cats and dogs. On 27 July 2026, Dubai Municipality announced the opening of an integrated pet shelter at the Birds and Pets Market in Warsan, together with a digital adoption platform — and crowds turned up to adopt within days.

What Opened

This is not a holding pen. According to the Municipality's announcement, the Warsan shelter includes a fully equipped veterinary clinic, a surgical operating theatre, a grooming unit, a reception and rehabilitation area for stray animals, a lost-pet reunification centre, and interactive adoption rooms where you can meet an animal before deciding. "The opening of the integrated pet shelter marks an important step in the continued development of Dubai Municipality's public health and veterinary services," said Dr Naseem Mohammed Rafei, Acting CEO of the Environment, Health and Safety Agency.

Where It Is

Inside the Birds and Pets Market in Warsan, Dubai. The shelter takes in stray and loose companion animals, rehabilitates them, and prepares them for adoption to internationally recognised welfare standards.

How to Adopt

Start on Dubai Municipality's adoption platform: browse the animals currently available, read their health and behavioural profiles, and shortlist before you visit. At the shelter, the interactive adoption rooms let you spend time with an animal before completing the adoption. Rescue animals often arrive with an unknown history — treat that as a reason to plan the first weeks properly, not to hesitate.

Your First Week as an Adopter

Four things matter straight away, and each has its own full guide:

• Verify the microchip and registration yourself. Do not assume the shelter completed Dubai Municipality registration — check, and register your pet if it isn't done. Microchipping is mandatory under Dubai law.

• Book a baseline vet assessment in the first days — body condition, pre-existing conditions, parasite check — so a preventive plan starts from facts.

• Start or restore vaccinations. Many rescues arrive unvaccinated. The Dubai vaccination schedule covers what's legally required and what's recommended.

• Deal with parasites early. Ticks are a year-round reality in Dubai; kittens especially need a proper deworming plan.

Adopting a mixed-breed? They're the largest single group in our patient records — the mixed-breed health guide covers what makes their care different. And if you've found a stray rather than adopted one, here's what to do step by step.

Facilities and adoption-platform details in this article are taken from Dubai Municipality's official announcement of 27 July 2026.