Is Mogadishu Pet-Friendly? Best Parks and Vet Services (Honestly)
okay, so. mogadishu. it's… a lot. i'm liam, and i'm a touring session drummer. which means i'm perpetually exhausted and have a basset hound named betty who sheds enough to build a second dog. finding a place for us both to exist, let alone thrive, has been… an adventure. right now, it feels like someone turned the humidity up to eleven and then forgot to invent air conditioning. it's that thick. like, you could swim through the air. and Djibouti is just a short flight away if you need a change of scenery, apparently.
let's be real, the internet's not exactly overflowing with "mogadishu with pets" guides. most stuff is… outdated, or just straight-up avoids the topic. which, fair. it's not exactly known as a chill place for fluffy companions. but i'm here to tell you, it's possible. it's just… different.
first off, safety. everyone asks about safety. look, it's improved massively in recent years, but you still gotta be smart. i've been relying heavily on local advice, and honestly, sticking to well-populated areas is key. i heard from a guy at a *cafe (more on that later) that petty theft is the biggest issue, so keep an eye on your stuff. and betty. always an eye on betty. rent? surprisingly, it's not insane. you can find a decent apartment for around $300-$600 a month, depending on the neighborhood. but the job market… that's a whole other beast. mostly NGO work, or if you're lucky, something in the burgeoning construction sector. Check out this forum for more current info.
now, parks. this is where things get tricky. "parks" in the western sense? not a ton. but there are some green spaces. Gardens near the coast are your best bet. i found a little patch near the Somali National Museum that betty enjoyed sniffing around in. it's not exactly central park, but it's something. TripAdvisor has a few user-submitted photos if you want to see what i mean. there's also a beach, but it's rocky and not really ideal for a leisurely dog walk. more of a "betty tries not to impale herself on a rock" situation.
vet services? okay, this was the biggest panic. i was picturing myself trying to perform emergency surgery on betty with a swiss army knife. thankfully, i found a couple of clinics. Dr. Abdi's Animal Clinic is the one everyone seems to recommend. it's basic, but they seem to know their stuff. i overheard someone saying (and i quote, because it was gold) "Dr. Abdi fixed my goat's leg, so he can probably handle your dog." high praise, honestly. there's also a smaller clinic near the market, but i haven't tried it yet. Yelp doesn't have much on Mogadishu, unsurprisingly, so you're relying on word of mouth.
drunk advice from a local: "don't let your dog wander near the livestock. they don't understand personal space." solid advice.
overheard gossip at a tea shop: "apparently, someone tried to bring a parrot through customs and it caused a whole scene." mogadishu is full of stories, let me tell you.
something a local warned me about:* "the stray dogs are friendly, but they carry… things. keep betty away from them."
so, is mogadishu pet-friendly? it's not a walk in the park (pun intended). it requires effort, a sense of humor, and a willingness to embrace the chaos. but it's doable. and honestly, seeing betty explore a place so different from anything she's ever known? that's worth a little bit of hassle. Here's a subreddit about Somalia if you want to dive deeper. and if you see a tired drummer with a shedding basset hound, come say hi. i'll probably need a coffee.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/top-companies-and-biggest-employers-in-chiclayo
- https://topiclo.com/post/the-nightlife-scene-in-porto-alegre-best-bars-and-safe-zones-dont-ask-me-how-i-know
- https://topiclo.com/post/dust-distortion-lost-in-the-grey-of-port-blossom
- https://topiclo.com/post/zamboanga-a-chaotic-mess-of-a-city
- https://topiclo.com/post/kyoto-chaos-cherry-blossoms-rain-and-questionable-ramen