An influencer has come under fire from an animal rights group for abandoning her pet dog while fleeing Dubai.
After missiles and drones began striking the UAE, Maddy Burciaga packed up and moved with her family to another tax haven.
The 32-year-old told her 2.7m Instagram followers that she had left her dog behind with the nanny.
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“It was too complicated because there’s too much paperwork,” the married mum-of-one explained.
La Ligue Des Animaux, an organisation dedicated to combating animal cruelty, slammed Burciaga – whose real name is Maddy Samat, née Scheidler – online.
In a post on Monday (9 Mar), the NGO wrote: “Influencer Maddy Burciaga says she left Dubai for Mauritius due to tensions in the region… leaving her dog behind with the nanny on the pretext that it was ‘too complicated because there’s too much paperwork.’
“A dog, for its part, would never leave its human to save its own skin. Dogs are ready to go through a war just to stay with their humans. That’s the difference between loyalty… and comfort.
“Even if she wanted to ‘protect’ her family by taking refuge elsewhere, she could at least have begun preparing to bring her dog back. She has done no such thing.
“Try asking someone this superficial for strategy or deep reflection… it’s a lost cause. Shame on her.”
Burciaga – hailing from Pont‑à‑Mousson, France – runs her own cosmetics brand, Mlips Cosmetics, as reported by Need To Know.
She first rose to fame in 2015 on the French reality dating show Qui veut épouser mon fils ? (Who Wants to Marry My Son?).
This is not her first brush with controversy.
Years ago, she faced criticism for promoting her brand as if in partnership with the Fondation Brigitte Bardot, a prominent French animal welfare organisation.
She shared content implying that 25% of profits from her products would be donated to the foundation and even posed with a lion cub.
The foundation denied ever authorising the partnership or agreeing to receive any money from her sales.
Social media reactions to her latest controversy have been mixed.
One user wrote: “If she abandoned her dog, it means she never loved it in the first place. Sadly, it was only used to get ‘views’.”
Beatrice commented: “I don’t care about her, but let’s not go overboard – she went on holiday, she didn’t leave for good!”
And Chrissy added: “It’s her husband’s dog too – he’s a well-known influencer as well. Shining all the spotlight solely on her just so she can get torn apart isn’t very fair.”
Since the start of the 2026 Iran war on 28 February, around 1,700 missiles and drones have been fired at the Emirates.
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, wrote online on Saturday (7 Mar): “Expats and investors are increasingly worried about a downturn in Dubai as war fears and censorship warnings collide.
“The 2009 crash saw residents flee leaving luxury cars at the airport. Today some are leaving their pets behind.”
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