May 3, 2017
It was around 7 AM when the voice of my caregiver, Fatemeh, woke me up. I looked up; she was waiting for a response from me.
It had been a difficult night. Pain followed me like a shadow. I had tossed and turned all night long and could not find a comfortable position. Nothing seemed to help, even painkillers….
It wasn’t until close to the morning that I finally fell asleep. Then I heard Fatemeh calling to me: “Madam, Madam.” A bit irritated, I opened my eyes hoping for a good reason for this rude awakening.
She continued: “I was going to go out, I saw a basket in front of the house. It was covered with a cloth. I looked closer; something was wiggling in the basket. First I thought it was a baby, but when I removed the cloth, there it was: a skinny, dirty, and scared puppy.” Then with a lost and confused voice, she continued: “What should I do with it?”
I thought this is how people once got rid of unwanted children. But in this case, a kind person put the puppy in front of my house. He could have walked away and left the puppy to die on the streets. He could have called a government official to collect the dog and then blamed others for the puppy’s death.
I asked Fatemeh to take the puppy to the bathroom and give him some food and water while I gathered myself together.
Still tired from the previous night’s battle with pain, I walked toward the bathroom to see the “gift” that was left on my doorstep. My heart leaped from my chest when I saw the tiny, skinny, and hairless puppy covered in dirt. He was so scared that he had pushed himself to the corner of the bathroom wall and had a look in his eyes begging me not to hurt him. There was no way that I could take him in with that much dirt. I had to wash him. With great effort, I managed to put him in the bathtub. He resisted being washed and fought me. I finally won this fight. After washing him and his basket, I fed him a nice warm meal. He was so hungry that he inhaled his food. By then I had gained his trust, and he had gained a name, “Jimbo.” I placed him on a clean warm towel, and he fell asleep. Several hours later when he woke up, I took him to the yard. He loved the warmth of the sun on his skinny, hairless body and attempted to play. Perhaps this was his first attempt to play since he was separated from his mother.
I thought to myself that I wished that people could be kinder to animals and see how much they need love, shelter, and a good home–the same way humans do.
I remembered the words of the slogan, “Love animals”, and I wished that people could go one step farther and put the words into practice.
September 2009
Lida EsnaAshari
May 3, 2017
My name is Seda. In Persian, it means “voice”. Sharareh, who is one of the members of the Center for Animal Lovers, found me almost dead and chose this name for me… because I was barking so much.
When I was a young dog, I was a shepherd dog and my owner loved me very much, but, unfortunately, he passed away and his sons sold all the sheep and abandoned me. I was an old dog, wandering the deserts. One day, when I was crossing the road, a car hit me. I don’t remember what happened after that.
I was near the highway and covered with dust. I think I was there for a very long time and I was so very thirsty, I thought I was going to die. But, God helped me. A miracle happened!
A wonderful lady with two boys came upon me, and she asked the boys to help move me to her car. I remember that when they put me in the car, one of the boys said, “you are so lucky; you are going to get a ride in a very nice car!”
The lady transferred me to her home; the only thing I remember is that I drank a lot of water that night. She took care of me very well, but I was barking so much that the neighbors complained, so she had to transfer me to the Vafa shelter.
I was the oldest dog there and everybody respected me. Solmaz, another member of the Center for Animal Lovers, loved me especially well. We became good friends and I waited for her every Friday. She brought me treats and special food. I am happy for being here. I was a lucky dog!
I passed away of old age on September 20, 2006, in peace and quiet after being in our shelter for 2 years. In my last years of life, I enjoyed the respect and comfortable life, thanks to Vafa Shelter!
Solmaz Tarrahi Tabriz
May 3, 2017
My name is Shoja. It means “brave” in Farsi. I am 11 months old. My mother and all my siblings were killed by City Hall officials, but I survived. I was so sad and frightened. I tried to hide in abandoned places, but I was hungry and I had to look for food. One night, a young man found me and he made me fight with his own very big and strong dog. I was afraid, so I began to cry but nobody came to help me. Even one time I was about to flee but the man hit me and pushed me back. Now, my leg was hurting me so much that I couldn’t even run away.
The big dog was biting and choking me and I could not fight back. At this very moment, a miracle happened! A lady called Mrs. Samira Moghadam from the shelter was passing by. She and her husband, Mr.Kashani, saw me. They got out of their car and after having a huge argument with that man, took me to their car.
My leg was broken, so I stayed in Mrs. EsnaAshari’s home for a while to receive medical care, and then I was taken to the Vafa shelter. I cried and cried all through the night for my first few nights there, but now, because I have other dogs and people who care for me, I am one of the calmest and kindest dogs at the shelter.
Fatemeh Motamedi
May 3, 2017
My name is Tala, which means “Gold” in Persian. Because I was purebred and pretty, my greedy and cruel owner treated me like a puppy making machine…to the point that I became very very weak…
So last time when I gave birth to 9 puppies, I was so sick that I couldn’t even feed my puppies. He threw us away.
We had nowhere to go and nothing to eat. All my lovely puppies died of hunger and cold, except for one. I was so sad. Fortunately someone told Mrs.EsnaAshari about our situation.
She took us to the shelter and put us in a warm and clean room. I have been living a good life in the shelter ever since. My puppy was adopted by a nice family. Everybody here is so kind that I have decided to let the past go and enjoy the care and attention they give me.
Fatemeh Motamedi
Feb 21, 2017
Another blog by Sheyda who spent a few weeks in Iran and volunteered at Vafa several times during her short time back home:
The Sad Life of a Stray Puppy How do the stray puppies end up at VAFA Animal Shelter? Each puppy has a unique story, most of them very cruel. Here is the story of Ahou: It was Friday, June 15, 2012. Mr. and Mrs. Tehrani are devoted volunteers who had spent the day working at VAFA. After wrapping up their duties and saying goodbye, they drove away feeling good about all their hard work.
Within a few miles of the shelter, they came across a group of men kicking a young puppy. Pulling their car over, they got out and picked up the frightened and hurt puppy while telling the men off. Why were these men kicking an innocent animal? Because in their twisted and demented mind, hurting an animal is fun. They did not even feel the slightest remorse for what they were doing when reprimanded for their actions.
Mr. and Mrs. Tehrani brought the puppy to VAFA Animal Shelter where everyone tried to soothe her wounds and ease her fear. They named her Ahou, Persian for deer, since she had the delicacy and look of a deer. Poor Ahou. She didn’t know whether to fear humans or love and trust them. Another devoted couple, Mr. and Mrs. Nosrati, took Ahou to their home for two weeks where, with much tender loving care, she was well-nourished and gained strength.
Fortunately, Ahou did not suffer any broken bones. When she was feeling better, Ahou was returned to the shelter where, after about with sickness, she is now getting healthy, has the run of the front porch, and is gradually trusting humans. This is one story with a happier ending, albeit ups and downs. Most stories do not end so. It is important that people chip in and help as much as they can. Without people like the Tehranis and the Nosratis, animals like Ahou will continue to suffer at the hands of humans and meet a tortured end.
Feb 21, 2017
Everyone who’s a regular at the shelter knows Dingo well. (more…)
