Written by: Robina

Title Image: Mohammed Alamin

When I was asked to join the visit to Parkview Pet Center, I immediately agreed because I absolutely love cats. The moment I stepped inside the clinic I was immediately engulfed into a heaven-like world where there were cats, cats, and you guessed it, more cats. The staff at the center were very warm and welcoming as well, it just added to pleasant atmosphere. The inside of the center was clean and fresh, which already spoke volumes about the standard of hygiene at Parkview. When we visited the cats, they all looked healthy and not to mention extremely cuddly! After being introduced to the center I was super excited to interview the wonderful people at this place and learn more about it. I can’t wait to share the amazing history and services of this remarkable place with everyone!

History

Parkview Pet Center (PPC) is closely connected to 2nd Chance Rescue, which was founded by Abdulla Al-Naemi in 2009. Although they are synonymous, they both have different locations in Doha. PPC, established in 2012, is dedicated towards medically treating animals while 2nd Chance Rescue helps out with rehoming and providing shelter to strays and abandoned pets.


The number of staff and animals has grown since their establishment; they have around 140 dogs and 28 cats overall – including those in the shelter and the ones in the clinic. The entire staff is fully devoted to taking care of and grooming these lovely animals until they find a forever home.

Services

The clinic provides a wide range of services:

·Consultations
·Spaying and Neutering
·Vaccinations
·Microchipping
·Oral and Dental Care
·Dermatology
·Diagnostic Imaging
·Anesthetics
·Rehabilitation
·On-site Lab
·On-site Pharmacy
·Euthanasia

Although, the clinic helps the rescue shelter financially, there is still a great demand for donations. 2nd Chance Rescue can help advertise the pets, who are no longer wanted by their owners, for adoption. Since the shelter is overcrowded itself, this is all that it can do for now.

Community Message

The last thing I asked before I left was if 2nd Chance Rescue had any message for Qatar’s residents. Their response almost moved me to tears.

“Don’t shop – adopt!” they said. They brought up the issue that too many people come in to ‘shop’ for the animals and then simply abandon them when they find that the animals aren’t fun anymore. This attitude needs to end. If you can’t promise a forever home for these lovely, loyal animals then you shouldn’t adopt them in the first place.

The shelter also welcomes individuals who want to volunteer. Those who can’t offer their time are kindly asked to offer their services in the form of donations. These can be money, food and anything else that could be helpful for the animals. If you plan to visit the farm where the shelter is located then please drop a line on their Facebook page beforehand, just so that you can be received properly.

They also have a dog walking program every Saturday where visitors can come and walk the dogs! They are also thinking about organizing a cat cuddle program too (I’m currently drooling). Individuals who want to help around the shelter can come on Saturdays (by pre-informing the shelter).


The shelter also requests that the community arrange for clean and fresh water for stray cats at all hours in this hot weather. Make sure you place the water containers in shades to avoid over-heating and evaporating.

You can check out their awesome website as well. The website for the shelter will be coming out soon so stay aware!

Lastly, visiting Parkview and 2nd Chance was not just an opportunity to satisfy my love for cats, it was also a great learning experience for me. I came to the place with a vague idea and in the end I didn’t even want to leave. It made a place in my heart so effortlessly.

I would like to leave readers with the awareness of 2nd Chance Rescue’s message, “Cats and dogs are the responsibility of us all.”

Have you ever adopted a cat? We'd love to hear your story. Let us know in the comment section below.

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