S'pore pet transporter, 43, wants to abolish stigma that 'Muslims cannot handle dogs'

A 43-year-old pet transporter in Singapore hopes to abolish the stigma that Muslims cannot touch or handle dogs.

Eiman Abd spoke about his experience starting a pet transport business in an Aug. 10 Instagram video by "petpriorityservices".

No conflict between faith and work

He told Lianhe Zaobao that as a Muslim, he balances his five daily prayers with his pet pick-up and drop-off trips.

Before and after contact with the animals, Eiman also strictly follows religious hygiene procedures.

To him, there is no conflict between faith and work as both carry responsibility.

"My faith teaches me to be patient, clean, honest, and compassionate," he said.

He added: "These are precisely the values ​​I strive to bring into my work every day. I will never let these cleaning procedures affect my dedication to animals."

"I always treat them with the utmost care, patience, and professionalism."

Professional, reliable transportation service

Eiman, who was a delivery driver before founding Pet Priority Services, saw that pet owners were too busy with work to take their pets to the vet or get groomed.

He then decided to switch careers and provide a professional and reliable transportation service, Zaobao reported.

"Logistics experience is very helpful for me in terms of route planning and security, but I can leave packages at the door, but not pets," Eiman said.

"They are living beings with their own personalities and emotions."

His passengers range from cats and dogs to rabbits and turtles, Zaobao reported.

While transporting turtles may sound funny, Eiman pointed out that it is important to make sure the temperature and environment inside the car are safe though "they won't cause trouble in the car".

Observe body language, respect safety boundaries

He noted, however, that he was not naturally good at interacting with dogs from a young age.

As such, he went through a learning phase at the beginning of his career.

Spending each day with dogs taught him to carefully observe body language, respect safety boundaries, and never force interaction, Eiman added.

Before going into the business, Eiman did his own research and went for a dog handling course.

He was told that dogs are playful and not aggressive.

"If they are aggressive, they will show it to you," he said in the Instagram video.

He recalled that a dog he once brought to a groomer was very anxious and would not move forward at the door.

Eiman told Zaobao that he did not force the dog, but soothed it in a gentle tone.

"A few weeks later, it would wag its tail excitedly and run to me as soon as it saw me. At that moment, I truly felt that animals can understand as long as you are patient."

'Be loving towards all animals'

In response to his work, Eiman said his friends and family have reacted positively, noting that he is not afraid of dogs.

He added that there are quite a few Malay Muslims in the Singapore Police Force whom he knows personally that are K9 dog trainers.

"There are actually quite a lot of people from the Malay Muslim community who [handle] dogs for their careers," Eiman said.

"It's 2026, I just want to abolish the stigma of 'Muslims cannot handle dogs'..." he added.

Eiman also urged everyone to keep an open mind and be loving towards all animals.

"Whether it's cats, dogs, or any creature out there. If you can't love them, at the very least, just don't abuse them."