By Abdullah Al-Reeh

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

TABUK — Stray dogs are seen in large numbers in many neighborhoods in the northern city of Tabuk, creating fears among the residents.

Dogs were seen in Al-Bawadi, Al-Safa, Al-Tawoon, Al-Yarmook and many other neighborhoods.

Citizens expressed their concern about this grave problem and questioned the role of the municipality in putting an end to this menace. Many families imposed a curfew on their children by banning them from leaving their homes, especially at night.

Muhammad Al-Balawi, a resident in Tabuk, spoke about the increasing number of stray dogs in the city’s neighborhoods and the danger they posed to the residents, especially children.

“Many of these dogs are aggressive and they attack anyone who comes near them. Not to mention, many of them could be carrying deadly diseases,” Al-Balawi said.

He said these dogs were taking refuge in buildings under construction or inside abandoned cars. Continuous barking by the dogs especially at night is quite annoying, he added.

Ali Al-Saeed, another resident of Tabuk, said there were many reports of people being attacked by stray dogs.

“A 3-year-old boy was viciously attacked by dogs when he was playing outside his house. The boy almost died but people who were close by managed to save him in time,” Al-Saeed said.

In another case, a man was attacked by several dogs when he was on his way to the mosque for Fajr prayer, but he managed to escape with minor injuries.

Sultan Al-Harbi said all what they heard from the Tabuk Municipality turned out to be empty promises as no drastic steps were taken to end the menace.