CAIRO — Jihan Mahmoud had no choice but to give up her dog that she had been looking after for three years after she became unable to afford its expenses.
A mother of two, Mahmoud became the sole breadwinner after her husband died five years ago. She considered her dog Shiko, who had lived with them since he was four months old, as her third child. About a month ago, she left him at an animal shelter.
“I miss him a lot and his absence breaks my heart, but I can't do anything for him,” Mahmoud told Al-Monitor.
The rapidly rising cost of living has destabilized the family's finances to the point where she can no longer provide the basic necessities for her children, let alone a dog.
