Many treat their animal companions lovingly as family members, eating, playing and enjoying life together with them. The love shown by such individuals is selfless and pure. On today’s edition of Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants, we’ll visit saintly animal lovers Afra Aldhaheri of the United Arab Emirates and Kerryn Vaughan of Australia, who both will discuss how they promote the love and protection of animals.

First, let’s visit Ms. Aldhaheri, who lives joyfully with her five dog and eight cat companions. It was about five years ago when she came to realize that not all animals live in happiness and contentment.

Five years ago, or four and a half , I got to know a lady who asked me if I'd like to volunteer in a dog shelter they have. I was impressed by the idea, but then I was in deep shock because I did not know that we have shelters for animals in our country. It did not occur to me that this issue was important, serious and substantial. So I said to her, “God willing, okay, no problem.” I went to see the place, and frankly, the place was clean and nice. But I was struck with sadness because I saw that a lot of dogs have no shelter.

After returning home Ms. Aldhaheri searched on the Internet for more information about animal adoption and started volunteering. She has since gained much experience in caring for and rescuing animals.

I have volunteered in many shelters, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, even Umm Al Quwain. And I decided to open a group on Facebook called "U.A.E. PET Lovers," and thank God, I have a lot of people in this group including shelters. Through this group I can express my feelings and bring information to people about how they can take care of their pets.

If they want to inquire about anything, they just email me, and I reply to them. If they want anything to know about animals I'm always available to help and reply to them especially if there is someone who needs help to get a dog or cat or if they have a dog they are unable to take care of or they are traveling and they want somebody to take care of the dog, I help them to find an appropriate home.

People always contact me, because they need help, like if they saw a sick dog or cat in the street. Or sometimes they contact me to say that there is a tied up dog on a farm or in a remote location and they do not know what to do. So, I go to see the dog or cat, and if they need treatment I take them to a veterinarian. I try to help people as best I can because, I do not like to see such a thing happen in our country.

For example, I rescued a dog between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. She was in a very bad situation. Her jaw was broken and there were pieces of iron in her body. So, I took her to a veterinarian and got treatment. She recovered within two months and came to love people very much. Thank God she became fine and is very happy with me. She loves people a lot. She likes to go out and run.

Ms. Aldhaheri works to encourage others to love and care for animals and advocates for the adoption of animals who need forever homes.

I would like to advise people that instead of buying animals, go to the shelter located in their country to adopt the animal, and give him another chance, because by saving an animal you get a wonderful, indescribable feeling.

What are Afra Aldhaheri’s next steps to help advance the cause of animal welfare in her country?

My future plans are to visit universities and schools to spread awareness among them. The other thing I want to do is fundraising charity concerts to donate to one of the shelters here in the country.

Like Ms. Aldhaheri, Kerryn Vaughan of Australia has a deep love for animals, which she expresses through her music as well as by sheltering on her farm in Gippsland, Victoria animals that she has rescued. Ms. Vaughan, a teacher and a vegetarian, has written songs to raise awareness about the need to safeguard our voiceless animal friends.

Sometimes it’s over, you don’t know why Most times I’m braver, but I still cry, I don’t know why.

I’ve just written one song in particular that’s about animal experimentation. I, for the life of me, can’t understand why we would do that (experimentation), and in 30 years when they first started questioning it, or in 40 years, we still haven’t stopped.

Sometimes we’re lonely, is that alright? Most times the fear goes, into the night, is that alright?

So I can’t bear the thought, I can’t understand it. So I’ve written a song called “Broken” about that not for money purposes but for exposure purposes, for awareness purposes. I really hope that I can get that out there and get the message across. And I’ve attached it to a PowerPoint (slide show) with all these really graphic images of animal experimentation. So I really hope I can get that out there and get some awareness.

And I sit here and wonder why
I never see the Sun I never got to say goodbye I’m broken and I’m done.

"Broken" was shortlisted in Australia’s Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. As a result, Star FM, a radio station in Australia chose Ms. Vaughan as the “Local Artist of the Week,” introducing the song to a wider audience. “Broken” is also now featured in a video by the anti-vivisection group Humane Research Australia.

Sometimes you see me, look in my eyes
Most times you know I’m the one who dies Look in my eyes

Kerryn Vaughan is the aunt of Lily Willems a young gifted artist who is vegetarian and has been protecting animals since she was four year old. Lily, now a teenager, has sold her paintings of endangered species in the past to raise funds for the non-profit conservation group the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Sometimes I’m aching, it just takes time
Most times I’m breaking, within this crime, it just takes time

My niece, Lily did the “Against Animal Cruelty” exhibition. They showed the slide show that I did of all photos of animal experimentation and put it with my song "Broken." There were probably about 100 people in the room on the opening night when they played that and the whole room was reduced to tears.

And everybody was saying, "I didn’t realize they still did that." And it was such a good thing. And if that were the only gift or talent that I could donate, and it's raised that awareness to 100 people, well that, in itself, is fantastic. So, and you know, I’ll do, sort of contribute any time that I have, or any little, any of my skills, computer skills, anything like that, to whatever I can, without doing a commitment that I can’t live up to. Does that make sense?

So, it’s a lot easier to do smaller things and make a constant contribution in a small way. I think they're a small way, (but) in actual fact they’re having a huge impact. So, yes, that’s what I just try to do, anything I can.

And I sit here and wonder why I never see the Sun I never got to say goodbye, I’m broken and I’m done.

I come home here and the animals are so enlightened that, you come home and everything drops away. They’ve got no agenda; they’ve got no interest in anything except loving and I just forget my day totally and I couldn’t even imagine coming home to no animals. I’d rather not be here than to come home to no animals.

The kind-hearted Ms. Vaughan has a happy animal family. Its members include, among others, five beautiful cats and Billy the dog.

There’s a funny story about Billy. I am very, very spiritual. I used to do this meditation for about two or three years and I’d go into this little row boat. There would always be this little black and white dog and I could only ever see the back of him, and I used to laugh and say, “I don’t know who you are dog but I love having you in my boat.” And then I did this for a couple of years. And then my sister was looking after a friend’s dog and she said, the dog had puppies and didn’t have much interest.

Then one day I just got after they were a few weeks old, this bang in my chest. And I said I’ve got to come and look at these puppies. And I went and the mother dog pulled me by the jeans and took me to him and he apparently wouldn’t go to anybody. And he snuggled into me and he absolutely chose me, or the mother did.

And it was about, after I’d had him for probably a few months, I did that meditation again and the very first time, that dog actually turned around and it was Billy. It was just incredible, absolutely amazing. So he is really my soul mate. He’s just an absolutely lovely little chap and you can see he sleeps in holes, he sleeps in my bed, snuggles into me all night.

And I sit here and wonder why I never see the Sun
I never got to say goodbye, I’m broken and I’m done
Sometimes it’s over, you don’t know why
Most times I’m braver, but I still cry,
I don’t know why I don’t know why

We sincerely thank Ms. Afra Aldhaheri, Ms. Kerryn Vaughan and all other marvelous individuals like them that are bravely providing a voice for animals and advocating for their rights in all corners of the world. Through the efforts of people like these, our Earth will march toward a brighter and nobler future.

To learn more about U.A.E. Pet Lovers, please email For more details about Ms. Kerryn Vaughan, please visit:

Kind viewers, we enjoyed your caring company on today’s program. Coming up next is Enlightening Entertainment, right after Noteworthy News. May all beings bathe in Heavenly light forever.