'He Was Like A Son': Abu Dhabi Resident Offers Dh30,000 For Lost Dog

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) More than two months after her beloved dog Jiku disappeared, an Abu Dhabi resident is refusing to give up and is now offering Dh30,000 to anyone who can bring him home.

Priyanka Tamang adopted Jiku last year. Since he went missing, she and her fiancé have searched the length and breadth of the Al Mushrif community, put up posters, and spoken to hundreds of residents. "He was like a son to me," Priyanka told Khaleej Times, her voice heavy with emotion. "After all the stress of work, when I came home, he would be there to greet me. It would feel like all the stress would melt away."

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The day he ran away

Jiku disappeared from the Al Mushrif area near Mushrif Mall on July 3, just two days after the family moved homes. "He was very uneasy and kept acting in a strange manner," Priyanka recalled. "On July 3, he ran away." Since then, the couple has searched the sprawling Mushrif community street by street for the Maltese dog. "It is a huge community with over a million residents," she said. "Each day we try to search a new cross section. We distribute flyers and talk to people. Every day we meet new people."

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There have been numerous sightings of Jiku across the community, especially up until August 5. But the reports have brought more pain than relief. "A lot of people tell us that they saw a dog whining and coming to them," Priyanka said. "Most of them say that they shooed him away. This absolutely breaks my heart. He must have been so scared. I keep wondering why none of these people tried to help him."

The couple began their search with a Dh5,000 reward. Moved by their efforts, Gulf Invest Real Estate in Dubai learned about the search and stepped forward to increase the reward to Dh15,000, while also assisting with flyer distribution. Now, the reward has been raised after a representative from Dubai-based Home Finder contacted the family.“She is also a dog owner and explained that when her own dog had once been unwell for just two days, she had felt devastated,” said Priyanka.“Reading about somebody who had been searching for their dog for more than two months deeply affected her. So she offered to double the reward.”

The family are now offering Dh30,000 to anyone who can reunite them with Jiku. However, the telephone numbers that the couple are circulating in the hope of finding Jiku have also exposed the family to something much darker: prank calls.“Some people bark like a dog in the background, mocking us,” Priyanka said.“But we keep answering the calls in the hope of being reunited with Jiku.”

'Love at first sight'

Priyanka has always been a dog person. She has two dogs back in India, and leaving them behind was painful. So when a friend called last year about a dog someone no longer wanted, she went to see him. "He was barely two months old, and it was love at first sight for me," she said. "We brought him home and he was like a son to us."

Despite the passing weeks, Priyanka holds on to hope.“I have done my research and in the UAE, there have been cases where some owners were reunited with their pet even after four years,” she said.“My belief is that some family is caring for him thinking that he is a stray. I am hopeful that they will see our posters or these news articles and will reach out to us.”

Anyone who finds a dog like Jiku can verify with the last digits of his microchip, which are ***8732. Any sightings can be reported to 0562980817 or 0556105319.

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