Apr 16, 2017
Adopted by Annie Altman – September 23, 2012 – San Francisco, California
A few words from Rico’s rescuer/foster mom in Iran:
Rico was only about two months old when she arrived at my home on a cold Winter day. It was late February when I received a phone call from someone letting me know of a little puppy who had been beaten to near death in Fereydoun Kenar. I got to the address as quickly as I could.
I found the frightened little white puppy lying down, drooling from the mouth and moaning from pain, barely alive. Immediately, I put him in the car and rushed to the pet clinic. Unfortunately the doctors who usually take care of us were not there and the pup’s condition was worsening every minute. I got a hold of one of them on the phone. With his guidance over the phone I was able to connect the IV to the dog, right there on the sidewalk and give him some injections until the doctor arrived and took over the process. Poor thing was so weak and in such bad shape for many days that he had no control of his bladder and hid from me in a corner. He could not even stand on his feet and I started to think that he may have had spinal injury. Little thing had just started to gain some strength and interest in food that I learned he had Parvo. For three full weeks he fought for life. I was feeling horrible for subjecting him to so many injections and IVs. Now after all that, the fully recovered little boy is happy and has connected with the rest of the dogs and cats in the house. He is sweet and energetic. With the hard work of Faranak and Vafa team he has migrated to US. I miss him and think of him often. I’m so glad that he has a good home and lives a good life without being beaten or abused. He and his family have a special place in my heart, always.
Naghmeh
Rico’s forever mom writes:
My name is Annie and at the end of May I had to say goodbye to my beloved Chester after 12 years. I vowed I wouldn’t get another dog until the spring/summer of 2013. But as September approached the feeling of emptiness was growing and I started to look on the various rescue websites. And there on the Rocket Dog rescue site was the cutest face that immediately tugged at my heart strings – Rico, In addition to the face and those ears his back story moved me.
So I went to meet Rico at the adoption fair. He had been placed with a foster family. I was concerned because I live in the city of San Francisco and wanted to make sure Rico could deal with the hustle and bustle and I asked if it was possible to do a “test weekend”. I picked him up from his foster home on a Friday afternoon and by Saturday evening I was texting his wonderful foster parents that Rico had found his forever home.
I’ve now been Rico’s mommy for almost two and half months. He continues to grow more confident day by day. Everyone comments on how sweet and silly he is. They are amazed by his back story and it gives me great pleasure to educate people about VAFA – an organization I didn’t know anything about until Rico stumbled into my life.
And everyday my “Persian Prince” makes me smile with his goofy antics. You’ll see what I mean with one of the below pictures. I’ll be sitting at my desk working away and I look back and there he is – lying on back, stretched out, smiling.
I can’t imagine life without him.
Apr 16, 2017
Adopted by Linda Kay – Oakland, California – August 12, 2012
Her face kept popping out at me every time I scrolled down the Petfinders webpage. Her name was Lucky and she had a You Tube video. I finally watched it and watched it over and over. Her story was an amazing one of surviving against all odds as a street dog in Iran and from having her back legs shot (and losing two of her dog buddies to those bullets) to end up for adoption in the US.
My beloved dog Bo had died just two weeks earlier following months of failing health. For over 26 years my home had been graced by the presence of dogs and cats and it was now empty. Still I wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit so soon. But Lucky had a compelling story and I seemed to be drawn to dogs with hurt legs and goofy ears. And many years ago I had been to Iran as a young back pack traveler. I submitted an application and was contacted by Farah who gives her all to finding homes for the Iranian rescue dogs that make their way to the US through the rescue organization Vafa. I soon met Lucky at her foster home – she was having fun running with other dogs and paid me only passing attention when treats were being handed out. But I thought she was a good match for me. I have a pet business and take groups of dogs on off leash runs on the trails in the hills above Oakland. I wanted a dog that could go with me. I was sure that we would eventually have that special bond I had had with my past dogs.
It didn’t take long for Lucky, now named Leila, to work her way deep into my heart and for her to be as loving and totally goofy with me as she was with her foster mom and with Farah. With my business we get to spend lots of time together. She is the athletic director on the trails – getting the dogs to run and chase her or be chased by her. She picks up pinecones or balls and tosses them in the air, then bats them around like a soccer player. When done, she leaves them for the other dogs. In the car she lets every other dog know who’s the boss and it isn’t me. Back home she finds a comfortable place to rest – a chair, the couch, my bed, a rug and, sometimes, her bed, if it isn’t full of my shoes she puts there.
Besides the trail or a comfortable chair, her favorite place is the Persian run restaurant downstairs from our apartment. They love her there and often give her scraps. On our morning and evening walks she pulls me to go by the restaurant and then sits in front, hoping. She can be very stubborn and becomes a thousand pound dog when she doesn’t want to move. Speaking of weight – she is an athletic 72 pounds now – exercise and a good diet work. She was carrying a little extra baggage when she arrived in the US.
Bo was my travel companion when we lived in Europe; Leila is my travel companion here. She has been to Lake Tahoe to roll in the snow, to Sonoma, sneaking moments to run up and down the halls of the lovely Sonoma Mission Inn (don’t tell), and next we are off for a week’s road trip to see family in Phoenix, making stops in dog friendly Carmel, San Luis Obispo and LA on the way. We’ll be sure to post pictures on Facebook.
Like going down the aisle and wondering if you picked the right one, Leila with her goofy ears and all turned out perfect for me and I think she is pretty happy with me. If only I could do as well with Match.com as with Vafa and Petfinders.com!
Thank you all – in Iran and here in California for caring for her and bringing us together!
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Nicole & Karlheinz Pilgrim – Oscar – July 1, 2011 & Roya – Sept 30, 2011 – Friedrichshafen, Germany
Our story with Roya and Oscar started about a year before they actually came to live with us for good. That was when my husband went to Iran for work. While he was there he told me on the phone that there was a beautiful stray dog which often came to the gate of the factory where she was happy to see him. From the start there has been a special connection between my husband Karlheinz and Roya which still can be seen today. He told me that she had one blind eye though and that he would like to take her with him. I replied jokingly that we already had a sweet little dog which would not tolerate any other dog in our house.
About a year later Karlheinz went to Iran again. His German colleagues and he found Roya with eight puppies that had just been born. There was snow and it was very cold. After one night two puppies had already died. Karlheinz and his colleagues knew they had to do something, so they built a crate for shelter and fed Roya. With the help of Vafa a vet came and it was decided to take the mama dog with her puppies to the shelter. The puppies were not doing too well and three died at the shelter.
At home in Germany our beloved dog Pauline died due to cancer two weeks after the puppies were born. For us it was clear at once: we wanted to get one of the dogs Karlheinz saved. But which one? Karlheinz absolutely wanted the mother dog and I had fallen in love with the puppy which looked like one of the Beagle Boys from Mickey Mouse. His eyes on the photos kept telling me: “I want to come and live with you”. After a few weeks of discussion we finally decided that each of us would get the dog they wanted and up to now it is clear to see, Oscar is my dog and Roya is Karlheinz’s dog.
Since it is not easy to transfer dogs to Germany, it took quite a while till the dogs could come to Germany. Born on the 14th February, Oscar arrived at the airport in Munich in June after a little detour and a cool holiday in California. A frequent flyer at the age of four months, incredible! He was very happy straight away and we spent an amazing summer with Oscar growing quickly.
It was harder to get Roya’s papers ready, so that it was only at the end of September that Roya arrived in Germany: via Frankfurt she landed directly in our hometown Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance in the South of Germany. For her, the journey had been very stressful and she didn’t have an easy start at her new home. There were so many things she didn’t know and that she was afraid of, but we tried to help her getting adjusted wherever we could. Her son Oscar often led the way and helped her, too.
Now both dogs are doing fine. Oscar has become a beautiful dog who is very active and loves any kind of training. We spend about two hours a day walking through the forest and over the fields and the dogs just love that. Once a week we go to a dog school. We started agility training with Oscar and he is very good at it.
Roya is more reserved than Oscar but she is very friendly and sometimes she is very funny and outgoing. However, being a dog which has lived outside all by herself, she not only chases everything one can chase (so a long leash is necessary in the woods) but also she doesn’t really understand why she should sit or lie down or follow any commands. We’re working on it using positive affirmation and she has already improved.
We are very happy that everything turned out well and we have to say that all the effort and expenses were worth the cause. We are often asked what breed these dogs are because they are so special and beautiful and then people are surprised when they hear our great story.
Nicole Pilgrim
Apr 13, 2017
Carbon (now Princess Persia) adopted by Farid & Cindy Yaghini – Ottawa, Canada
On a beautiful Spring day my Father called me and told me about a puppy’s cries of pain near their house. He had looked for the source of the cries but could not find it. We live nearby so I went on the terrace and listened but still didn’t notice any signs. By the afternoon we could not hear any more noises and we concluded that the mother must have returned and the case was closed. But that night, my sister Fariba, noticed a black object under a staircase around the corner that seemed like an old hat to her.
Soon, it made a slight move. Fariba realized that it was a puppy, barely alive. She had cried for help all day and had ran out of hope and energy. Fariba brought her to me immediately, and since I am an ‘experienced mom’ of seven puppies already, I started feeding her beef broth with a syringe. She was so weak that she could not stand on her legs and we thought she had been injured. After a few days of intensive care she started to get up and move around. A week later when we were sure of her health we introduced her to the other puppies. She was quite playful and had a great time with the other ones. After a couple of months she went to the shelter with the other pups. And that’s where her luck changed…
Afsaneh
Princess Persia came to us very scared and shy. She was anti social and very frightened by anyone outside of the house. In the several months that she has been with us, she has made vast gains with both her social skills and confidence. Cindy and I can not take all the credit as a lot of her improvements were due to Orion, Baily and Marshal who are all neighborhood dogs that helped her socialize. In addition, she has become best friends with our cat Marley who was also a rescued pet. Persia is extremely smart. She walks off leach in parks and never runs off. She scratches the back door when she has to use the washroom and even drags the blanket off me at night if she needs to go while I am sleeping. Most importantly, she has made our older dog Orion, a young puppy again. Orion’s activity level has increased and she is much more playful since Persia’s arrival.
Persia graduated from puppy school several weeks ago and got the top student award. The only place I could see her improving in is maybe her barking. She would be an excellent guard or security dog as she barks at every person that walks or drives past our house. In conclusion, she is a gem and extremely loved member of our family.
Farid & Cindy
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Susan Arnett, September 2012, Seattle, WashingtonIn September 2012
I was a volunteer dog walker at PAWS Animal Shelter. One Sunday evening I was returning a dog to it’s kennel and overheard one of my co-volunteers in the kennel next door trying to coax a new dog out for a walk. She wasn’t having any luck, so I thought I would give it a try. I peeked in and say a very nervous Sheltie mix with big ears and dark brown eyes. I went in and sat with her for awhile, inching a little closer and offering her hot dogs. I could tell she was very frightened but also wanted to be loved because she let me pet her legs, then her tummy and head and eventually she took a hot dog off my knee.
After a short walk and some tummy scratches, I was pretty much in love with her and could tell she had a gentle spirit and sweet disposition, despite her fear and shyness. At that time I knew nothing of her origin or that she had just arrived from a 20 hour flight. I thought the supervisor was joking when he said she came from Iran. I couldn’t believe how much had been done for her to get her to Seattle and to a forever home. I felt very lucky when I was able to adopt her from PAWS a few days later.
Shabi has come a long way in 7 months. She’s learned to walk on a leash (without planting herself down in fear anytime a car, person, bike, etc. goes by), ride in a car (without hiding on the floor of the back seat), ride in an elevator and walk up/down stairs and how not to have a barking fit when she sees her reflection in a mirror. She loves dog parks, rolling in the grass, laying in the water, soft toys, treats and most of all, she loves coming to work with me each day. The confidence and joy she exudes when she runs into the office amazes me compared to how timid she was when she first arrived. Her best friends at work are Pierce, a bichon-frieze/poodle mix, Oola, a golda-doodle and Sadie, a dachshund. She loves to wrestle with them and happily shares her toys. She can now sit, lay down and shake. If she’s really excited, she’ll shake with both paws!
I’m so grateful to have her in my life. Shabi’s sweet, funny personality, her resilience and her continued courage in new situations inspires me. I’m so thankful to all those at VAFA and PAWS who worked so hard to rescue her, care for her, transport her and bring us into each other’s lives. Shabnam, my azizam, is my forever friend and will forever have a home in my house and in my heart.
God bless,Susan
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Catherine & Ken and their 3 kids Andrew, Courtney & Kimberly – Mississauga, Ontario – Oct 21, 2012
“Chesmak” was one of four female puppies who were brought to the shelter early summer 2011. They were only a month old. The staff was told that their mother was killed but how much of that was true, it’s unclear. Either way, since they were very little and the shelter wasn’t really a proper place for them, Zarrin family accepted the responsibility of caring for them. Cheshmak, along with her sisters, spent a few months there and after they were a bit bigger and had their shots they were transferred to the shelter. It didn’t take long before they were on the adoption list. Chesmak came to Torento on the first of September, 2012 and after a few months of living with a foster family, she found her permanent family and lives happily with them now.
Cheshmak is settling into our home in Toronto. She has a huge backyard, complete with her own fenced in ravine and forest to play in and to explore. She is learning to play and loves to play ball. We will probably find the woods full of tennis balls in the spring as she buries them or hides them in the snow – and she loves the snow!! Cheshmak is also very playful in the house and enjoys a short playtime and cuddle on the bed in the morning and at night.
She is making friends with the neighbours, both canine and human and eagerly goes to visit them for treats. She is still a bit timid when she leaves her own property but is working hard, with lots of help from all her new human family members, to understand that the world doesn’t have to be scary. She even goes on the paper rounds with the young human child in the family and is regularly going to doggie camp so she gets to meet new people and dogs.
Cheshmak met up with her sisters Mahtab and Shabtab when they arrived from Iran a few weeks ago. She was so excited showing them around her new home and property – the three of them played happily together.
Cheshmak really is a treasure and an added blessing to our family.
