Dogs and Herons in the Desert

Every Friday morning we take a trip into the desert to Al Qudra Lakes with Bob. It's the ONLY place in Dubai he can run off the lead. We take him out for a walk every evening around the neighbourhood on the lead, but we can't take him on any of the beaches which is a shame as we only live 1km from the sea.

It's a 45 minute drive for a 60km trip, and the lakes are located directly behind the Al Qudra Cycle Centre. From the lakes on a clear day you can see Dubai Marina and on the drive home the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa are also visable and we use them as our landmarks to navigate (oh and we know the route too well)

The lakes are man made and are home to 130 species of birds.

There has been an increase in traffic to the site in the past year since we've been visiting and sadly there is lots of rubbish left behind by visitors who have been camping, dog walking and partying in the desert. There is also a lot of damage from 4x4 off roaders and is very noisy some days and you have to keep a close eye on your dog with all the dune buggies and quad bikes.

Sadly, a lot of users of the lakes seem to think it has been designed just for their use, there is very little harmony amongst the groups and a fierce amount of competition in various face book groups about 'who' is the cause of the issues.

We, like many others, believe we are good users of the lake. We keep to the tracks when driving, we remove all of our rubbish and dog poo and we take rubbish bags and help clear up mess left behind by others.

There is a small coffee shop at the cycle centre, where toilets are also located, that is dog friendly and we've got into a routine of stopping for a drink after our morning walk, Bob gets fussed over by the cyclists and the staff bring out water and treats for him.

There is always a friendly dog for Bob to play with.

I hear the birds in the garden but it is not often I actually get to see them or have my camera with me.

I really want to visit the bird sanctuary again soon at Ras Al Khor, around the 4pm time when they feed the flamingoes.