Tinkerbell - absolutely not, a neighbour friend of mine (who also happens to speak Arabic) regularly takes his dog to the corniche (on a lead of course). He has had several run ins with the police who said if he catches him and his dog there again, he will arrest my friend, confiscate the dog and have it put down due to his perception that the dog is a threat to people. Be it said, I have known this dog for the last few years and it is the sweetest tempered dog imaginable.

And by the way on our compound, they regularly round up the cats and have them destroyed (the municipality that is) regadless if the cat has a collar on or not - and you can't say that they are a threat to life.