Saudi Arabia: Bans Riyadh Residents From Buying Cats And Dogs

You’ve probably heard of the guy with a dog ploy of a single man goes for a walk around town with a dog or even better, a puppy. Men using pets to pick up women have officials in Saudi Arabia’s capital so worried that they have prohibited them from buying cats and dogs or even walking them in public, the  Associated Press Reports. 

The prohibition went into effect Wednesday in the capital, Riyadh, and authorities in the city say they will strictly enforce it unlike previous bans in the cities of Mecca and Jidda, which have been ignored and failed to stop pet sales. Violators found outside with their pets will have their beloved poodles and other furry companions confiscated by agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the official name of the religious police, tasked with enforcing Saudi Arabia’s strict Islamic code. If a man or woman is caught with a pet, the pet will be immediately confiscated and the man will be forced to sign a document pledging not to repeat the act, Al-Othman told the Al-Hayat newspaper. If he or she does, he or she will be referred to authorities. The ban does not address women or men.  

This article affects me because I would not want to be caught with my dog just because I’m walking with it in public. If I was walking my dog or doing exersizes with  him, why would I be caught just because I’m walking it or running with my dog. For me that would be messed up because they’re just going to trap dogs and cats for nothing I mean they”re not doing nothing to them they’re just friendly pets.  

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/08/saudi-arabia-ba.html