Dogs in the UAE: a growing place in family life

What the long-term ownership trend tells us—and why responsible care matters more than the headline numbers.

Editorial photo by Ivan Babydov / Pexels. Stock lifestyle image illustrating this article. Food pictured is not presented as the exact Nudog recipe; people pictured are not presented as Nudog customers.

Market context · Checked 15 October 2026. Pet counts, dog-food sales and forecasts measure different things; they should not be treated as interchangeable.

More than a market story

A dog becomes part of the day: the early walk, the familiar face at the door, the bowl waiting in the kitchen. The UAE’s longer-term pet-care story is also a story about making room for those routines.

What the evidence supports

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s UAE market analysis links rising dog-food demand to a growing dog population and higher ownership rates. Its table puts UAE dog-food retail sales at US$81 million in 2021 and US$116 million in 2025. That is a measure of spending, not a count of dogs: prices and the products people choose also affect sales value.

USDA’s 2025 UAE pet-food report reports that the UAE’s overall pet population rose from 588,700 in 2014 to 938,000 in 2024. Those figures include pets beyond dogs. They must not be presented as 938,000 dogs or converted into a dog-owning household percentage.

Growth is not a straight line

The longer-term picture does not prove ownership rises every year. Euromonitor’s 2026 pet-care summary describes cautious spending and restrained volume growth. It is more accurate to talk about an expanded pet-care community over time than to promise an uninterrupted boom. Forecasts are expectations, not a census.

What this means at home

For an owner, the useful question is less about how fast the market grows and more about whether everyday care is practical. Before bringing a dog home, work through housing permissions, time for walks, veterinary care, travel arrangements and a realistic ongoing budget. A dog needs a plan for ordinary workdays as well as weekends.

Better information for their bowl

Our view at Nudog is simple: owners should be able to see ingredients, life-stage suitability, feeding guidance and the difference between a one-off order and a subscription. A bigger community deserves clearer information, rather than bigger promises.

Whether your dog arrived yesterday or has been beside you for years, start with their individual needs. Explore our food finder, read the recipe details and use the feeding guide on the pack. For a medical or dietary concern, speak to your vet.