Apr 13, 2017
Mahtab (now Debbie), Adopted by Anne Marie and John McCusker – Mossley, Ontario, Canada – Feb 24, 2013
Debbie (Mahtab) has been with us for over two months now and we could not imagine life without our sweet girl. She is best pals with her new brother, Geordie who she runs and plays with especially when they have neighbors to bark at! When she came to us she was very shy and scared of all things new even us wearing sunglasses! She is still easily spooked but only for an instant and is no longer afraid of the vacuum, the mop or sunglasses. She is very amusing and loves to lie on her back inviting belly rubs from anyone who is willing.
Debbie is a fun dog whose antics make us laugh all the time whether it is the way she appears out of nowhere and spooks us or the way she flops down beside me when I am cooking or doing anything around the house. She has a personality that melts the heart of everyone she meets. She is also very calm and we are so proud that she is now able to ignore the neighbor’s dogs when they bark at her through the fence.
She loves being outside whether it is sunny, raining or snowing. She rolls in the snow as though it is the best thing she has ever seen and runs around in the rain happily for ages. On the negative side, it takes three big towels to dry her off when she comes back in the house!
I’m sure we will have lots of stories to tell in the future and we hope Debbie is loving being with us as much as we love having her in our lives.
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Parisa Salehi & Burk Finley – Feb 06, 2013 – Washington DC
Surf’s arrival from Vafa was not only to have a dog accompany us as we go through life, but to have a piece of a place I once called home nearby. It was also a way to contribute to my Mom’s tireless efforts to make an impossibly harsh life of some of the animals in Iran a little less harsh.
She came to us afraid of city life, fire trucks specially and men particularly. She was six months old and as I write this she is 11 months old. She has made big strides. And she is still learning to trust us and all around her in the world.
She has many dog friends. Some men friends (including her dog walker) and city life while is not yet second nature, it is tolerable. She has a few horse friends and even a ferrel cat friend.
As she learns, she teaches too. Her real lessons are to be determined. But for now she is teaching me how to take pleasure on the very moments I seem to forget I am alive.
And Burk says he is learning that patience and kindness over a long haul produces good results! We are lucky to have her in our lives and hope to continue providing her a bright beginning.
Parisa & Burk
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Reza & Cheryl Saffarian – Saginaw, Michigan, USA – Feb 24, 2013
Dear friends; My name is Captain Jack formerly known as “Nakhoda” and here is my “Happy Ending Story”.My story begins as a stray dog living on the streets of Northern Tehran/Iran. I don’t know how I became an amputee losing my left leg, but I ended up at Vafa animal shelter when I was six months old. While at Vafa shelter, Reza Saffarian and his wife Cheryl who live in Saginaw, Michigan saw my Bio on Vafa’s web site and adopted me. As a two year old dog, I arrived in U.S. on Feb/17th/2013 in Boston, Massachusetts and what an arrival that was. While I was in my crate being transported from the plane to the terminal on a conveyor belt, wind knocked my crate down, the crate broke, but luckily I escaped unharmed,,,,only….HMMM……well…..emotional trauma. You might want to avoid that airline for your next trip; they have no clue how to transport animals!!!! Just kidding!!
After spending a few days with a foster family in Boston, I was transported to Michigan by volunteers at Liberty Train. Finally on Sunday Feb/24th I was handed to my new family in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After a two hour drive I arrived at my “Forever” home in Saginaw TWP.
Let me be honest, I did not leave a great first impression on my parents and here is why. As I entered the house, my mom let me out to the snow covered backyard. The first thing I came across was a large fish pond. The dazzling dance of the gold fish combined with the tranquility of the water fall mesmerized me to the point that I jumped in the pond. Well, the pond was much deeper than I had assumed, so I could not get out. Did I mention that I’m not a good swimmer because I’m missing a leg? Anyway, all I could hear was my mom shouting “Reza, Reza, Captain is drowning”. My dad who was on the phone with Vafa to report my “safe arrival” to my forever home jumped into action and dragged me out of the pond. Shortly after, I was in the bath tub being washed and cleaned. Pretty impressive first impression, wouldn’t you say?Later that day, I was introduced to my older dog brother named “Carter”, three cat siblings Buddy, Jinxy, and Dusty, and a parrot named “Kiwi” who are all rescued animals. Since that first day, my life has been relatively uneventful except for the corrective surgery that I received in March. My stump was too long, useless, and often bleeding and infected. Therefore, I underwent a corrective surgery to shorten the stump which has significantly improved my quality of life.
These days my hobbies include going for a walk/jog with my parents in the evening. I also like to wrestle with Carter and chase squirrels in the back yard. You know, Iranians have a pretty strong background in wrestling and yours truly is no exception. Actually, I have invented a move of my own which I call “Bite the Neck” move or “BTN” for short. The BTN is a very effective move,,,,well,,, let’s say I’m still working on it. It is similar to the move that “Mike Tyson” put on “Evander Holyfield” biting his ear off. However, I stop short of biting my opponent’s neck off. Carter and I often wrestle to kill the time and my parents enjoy watching us competing for their attention.
I know all the dogs in our neighborhood and let me tell you, I “can’t stand” them. I know, I know, that sounds pretty strange coming from a dog who shared a shelter with over four hundred dogs!!! In fact, there are two things I resent “other dogs” and “children”. Hm, perhaps I don’t want other dogs around because I want my parents to only love “Me”. Does that make sense??? It does to me,,,a pretty good psychological analysis from a dog wouldn’t you say? However, I’m not sure why I don’t like children. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but perhaps my fear of kids stems from being treated ,,,,um,,,, how should I say ,,,um,,,, unfairly by some kids on the streets of Tehran,,,who knows??
My parents thought putting me through a “training class” for K9’s would help me to overcome my fears of children and other dogs, but little did they know, nothing would help. I failed & failed miserably. They enrolled me in a class that was taught by none other than my “Vet” who performed the “corrective surgery” on my limb, “Hello”. Well, it suffices to say that every time I attended the class, I thought I was going to “lose another limb”, LOL. Therefore, I became so fearful of those sessions that I would lay down through the entire time, did not obey any commands, and at times vomited out of fear. Finally, my parents got the point and stopped taking me to those classes. What a relief, I’ll tell you!!! I’m not a prissy dog and don’t need any classes to learn how to behave. I am “Street Smart” and I think my parents finally came to the conclusion that they should “love me for who I am not who they want me to be”. Did someone ask about assimilation to this culture??? Well, I gotta tell you about some of my early challenges living in a house. You may find this strange, but I did not know how to navigate steps, didn’t know how to ascend or descend. My dad had to train me by carrying me almost all the way up the steps and letting me climb the last couple. And, he did the same thing when descending by carrying me almost to the bottom of the stair case and letting me finish on my own. After a few tries, I became a master climber. Now, I can write a book about it and will call it “Steps for dummies/doggies”!!!!
I love my new parents and the new home. When my parents leave for work, I “whimper” and when they come home at the end of a long day, I “Twirl” and whimper even harder. The jubilation that I feel when I see them is indescribable. They have to pet me for minutes in order for me to settle down. Perhaps I’m fearful of being “abandoned” again,,,,you know,,,, I’ve been there and know how it feels.
In summary, I couldn’t have written a better ending to my own life story. My parents and other animal siblings love me and I love them back. My dad and I are inseparable. I lie down next to him and put my head on his lap while he keeps petting me. When he stops, I give him a nudge and a dirty look, and he gets back to petting me again. He keeps repeating this sentence “you can get a dog out of Vafa, but you can’t get Vafa out of a dog”. Vafa means devotion and loyalty, do you dig it???
This is my happy ending story and I wish the same for all my friends at Vafa.
Please adopt a dog from Vafa or donate to their cause. My friends at Vafa need your help.
Thank you,Captain Jack/ Nakhoda
Apr 13, 2017
Adopted by Ramtin Minouei – April 30, 2013 – Bridgewater, NJ
Milo’s (lucky) story started for us when I was visiting my mother in Iran . I promised a good friend of mine to take some medicine and dog accessories for Vafa animal shelter and when I contacted Ms. Zarrin for pick up she arranged a full day visit for me at Vafa . During this visit I met few terrier dogs who were rescued from very bad situation and I decided to bring Milo aka Lucky to united states.
Two days after I returned home to New Jersey, Milo was flown to Toronto with a volunteer traveler. He spent a few days in Toronto with a kind volunteer, and it took a day for a team of 8 Liberty Train volunteers to drive him to New Jersey.
Milo’s arrival from Vafa was not only to have another dog to accompany me, but to have reminder of my childhood memories . It was also a way to contribute to my Mom’s tireless efforts to take care of our four dogs and making food for street animals when we were kids.
Milo has been with us for over three months now and we could not imagine life without our sweet boy. He is a beautiful dog who is very active and loves any kind of training. We spend about two hours a day walking through the neighbor hood . He gets along very well with our other dog Molly. He was potty trained in two days and knows a few tricks.
He is a true gentleman and he is always calm. I believe having Milo in our life was one of the best decisions I ever made.
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 by neighbors what breed Milo is because he looks so unique and then people are surprised when they hear the great story.
Ramtin Minooei
Apr 10, 2017
Adopted by Noshi and Rita Asangarani – May 26, 2015 – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Upon arriving in Toronto, My new adoptive human mother and human sister were waiting for me with big smiles and a large welcome party. Everyone looked so happy to meet me. Being timid as I was I stayed close to my adoptive sister during the entire car ride to my new home to Ottawa. But looking out the window I saw a whole different world, one with many green trees and grass.I was unsure of my surroundings and spent much of my time with my adoptive mother. I did not want to get close to other people. But with time, patience and training I have come to love my home and my new extended family. My grandmother tells me that I am a beautiful dog every time we visit her.
I now try to do my part as a member of the family by staying close to my aunt as she cooks in the kitchen so that I make sure I clean the floors in case she drops any food.I like going on long walks with my mom and I take my favorite squeaky toy monkey, spirit wind, with me when I go. I run in the tall grass and pretend to play hide and seek. I don’t like to play with the other dogs, but I enjoy watching them from afar. However, I have made two doggy friends that I do like to sit and play with. I also like wrestling with my sister and cuddling with my mom while we watch TV together. I love to play with my toys and play in the nearby play structure.I have become very protective of my family and love them very much. I have learned tricks and I can give hug back when my family hugs me. I also hold politeness to a high standard. I will only do certain tricks if you say please or ask nicely.There is a squirrel living close to the house. I make sure to bark at it when it comes here. This is my house now. I have to protect it. Don’t worry though I am good at my job so the squirrel hasn’t broken in yetBut I will let you know my secret: my absolute favorite thing is the SNOW!! I love the snow! I run, jump, and eat the snow as it falls. It snows a lot here and I always want to go outside and play in the blanket of snow.My mother says I still need training, but that we have come a long way and that she is so proud of me. My mother also says that once I am okay with other dogs she will adopt a new doggy sister from Vafa for me too.I know the future has a great deal in store for me. With my mommy, sister, and Spirt Wind at my side I am ready to face it here in Canada.
Apr 10, 2017
Adopted by Coe Family -May 23, 2015 – Kensington, CA
I can’t believe that it has been one year since we adopted beautiful Nava! In that time she has really enjoyed going on vacations with us to Carmel, Calistoga, Sonoma and Healdsburg.
She also loves going on hikes with us on the nearby trails and loves the beach and walks near the bay! One of her favorite things is going out for coffee with us and just being close, always nuzzling us or rolling over for more love.It took almost no time for Nava to feel at home. She has her favorite places she likes to sleep and loves meeting new people. She and Buddy (our golden) are kindred spirits and like staying close to one another.
I can’t believe how lucky we are to have her gentle spirit in our lives!
Mary Coe
