In 2018, a father imports a Labrador puppy from outside of Iran for his son, and signs the puppy up for training at a training school. But living at these schools is too early for a puppy that young, and as a result, the puppy got Distemper. It was a hard battle, and Bamzi survived it in the end, but as one of the complications of the disease, Bamzi was left with a very strong tic/reflex. The family didn’t want to take care of him anymore and they gave him away to a horseback riding club. After some time, the club was closed and Bamzi had no place to live. He was then brought to the Vafa Shelter in August 2018.
In the beginning, his tic reflexes from his disease were quite strong but Bamzi was so happy and had such a strong will to live that he did not care about these reflexes. Time passed and his reflexes were getting milder. But even though he was a chocolate Labrador Retriever, no one wanted to adopt him. He was extremely kind and loved to be pet. Finally, one day, his destiny was changed forever and a family in Canada adopted him.
Afarin Saleknia:
“If someone asks me if I love my family more or animals, I will have a very hard time answering that question. Animals, especially dogs, have had a big impact on my life and probably your lives as well. I love them and always care about them. Three years ago, my dog passed away, who was also adopted from Vafa. I didn’t think I would be able to replace my love with another dog and had asked God to help me choose my next dog.
One day I checked my Telegram account to see if there was any news from the shelter and to check out photos of their dogs. Among all the photos, one of the dogs grabbed my attention. His eyes spoke to me. I was shocked, he was asking me for attention and love, through those brown eyes. I could not wait any longer. I contacted Ms. Farah Azari and she told me that Bamzi, like my previous dog, had battled a disease. My family was hesitant at first but I had fallen in love with Bamzi and could not move on to another dog just because he had a health condition. In fact, I felt closer to him because of his condition. I finally was able to find a passenger to Canada from Iran and after paying a fee to that person, Marlie (Bamzi) was brought to us with the next flight. I can’t thank Vafa’s staff and volunteers enough. I am so thankful that they cared for my little angel until now. We love each other and I have so much love to give him. He is so kind and gentle that my whole family loves him now. He is truly an angel.”
