Apr 16, 2017
Adopted by Mazloomi Family – Jan 1, 2012 – Vancouver, Canada
I was about 4-weeks old when I was dropped off at the shelter. A very kind family (Khachatourians) offered to foster me while I get vaccinated. Within a few days of my arrival at their home, I was sick with Parvo.
Parvo is pretty common in puppies who have not been vaccinated in time, and they usually have a 50/50 chance of survival. They took such good care of me, and with help of their vet, I gained my health within 2 weeks and I turned in to that happy playful puppy. I got to spend 2 months with them, until a kind family who live canada saw my picture and contacted Vafa team to adopt me…and before long, they came to Iran and took me with them! …and here’s how the rest of the story was told by my new family:
Optimus Prime (then Tobi) happy beginning story.I don’t remember much from when I was younger. I was separated from my mom and my other siblings at a very young age. Born on streets of Iran, my life was not easy. I remember that a very nice person took me to Vafa Animal shelter. From there, I was put into foster care with a wonderful family who took great care of me while I recovered from my life on the streets. I remember when one day in October my foster parents were taking pictures and videos of me playing (I showed off my cutest face). I didn’t know at the time, but those pictures and videos were being put online for someone to adopt me. A short while after, a family from Canada started to become interested in adopting me.
They came to visit me in December in my foster home in Iran. In the 3 weeks that they were there, they visited me 2 times and showered me with gifts, love and TREATS! They even brought this big rectangular box. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the kennel that I had to travel back to Canada in. The night that they were leaving, I was taken to the airport to meet up with them. The next thing I knew, I was onto a new life. When I arrived in the airport at Canada, everything was new. As soon as we got to my new home, my new sister took me out on what was called a walk. I had no idea what it was for, because in Iran I usually went to the bathroom in the back yard.
At first, I could not walk up and down the stairs. Everything and everyone terrified me. Everything was so new and foreign to me. It has been a month that I have been living with my forever family. They have been patient with me and have signed me up for obedience classes and daycare to socialize with other dogs. I get lots of treats, playtime and walks. But most of all, I get so much sleep that I snore every night. My new life is going great! I am almost five months old, and this is truly a happy beginning.
Tobi (now Optimus)
Apr 16, 2017
Adopted on Jan 11, 2012 – Keihani Family – Tehran, Iran
Six year old Foxy is another one of Vafa’s little guests who got lucky lately with efforts of Ms. Gandom Tadrissi.
Ms. Bahareh Pour-Ahmadi tells us how this union came about:
We had been thinking about getting a small dog for a while but didn’t know what breed would suit our lifestyle.
One day a friend asked us to take care of a dog that she had found until the owners were located. In the process of searching for the owners we ended up on Facebook and other websites where we learned about different rescue groups which made us change our mind from buying a dog to rescuing one. That is how we reached out to Ms. Tadrissi who after talking about our priorities suggested Foxy to us. We liked him right away since he was quiet and calm, and we brought him home with us the next day. He made his way into every one’s heart very quickly and soon we noticed many other qualities about him. He is very smart and not a nonesense barker, not a chewer, and very much house broken. He never gets tired of going on walks. He is great with other people and animals even cats unless the other party picks on him. Although, he gets a little jealous if we pay too much attention to another dog. He is a sound sleeper. When we take him to a friend’s house, after a quick study of the place he will politely settle near us.
The more we think about it the more we realize Foxy is the best dog we could ask for and we are so grateful for having him in our lives. He has brought a lot of happiness to our home. He has become a source of love in our home and we do our best to make forget any hardship that he had to live through before he found us.
We love him very very much.
Apr 16, 2017
Fostered/Adopted on Nov 23, 2011 – Stephenie James – Vallejo, California
On November 23, 2011, I picked up Yasha in order to foster him over the long Thanksgiving holiday. By November 24 (Thanksgiving Day), I had decided to keep him. He was such a cute wiggly puppy! I renamed him Indiana (like Indiana Jones) since he had already been on such an incredible adventure in his short life. My parents, who despair of every having grandchildren from me, even adopted Indy as their grand-puppy.
Since I work full time, I decided to enroll Indy into a doggie daycare center so that he could play and socialize with other dogs during the day. The daycare center is awesome and he is so excited on the days he gets to go. We also signed up for puppy training classes so that Indy could learn basic manners. He is so food motivated and easy to train! He will do anything for a “cookie”. I couldn’t have asked for a better dog. AND he graduates in 2 weeks.
At home, Indy has made fast friends with my 2 year old male Siamese cat, Dexter. They love to wrestle and play together. It’s amazing to watch them play, even though Dexter usually wins the wrestling match! He’s a tough kitty.
Indiana is such a joy to have. He still has a cute wiggle butt when he gets excited and loves to go up to everyone to say “hi” and get some love. He loves to chase tennis balls, play tug-of-war, and play in the sprinkler. I recently took him to the beach and he had so much fun playing tag with the incoming waves and digging in the sand! At home, he loves to pull soft blankets or pillows off the couch and bed so that he can cuddle up with them on the floor. I’ve nicknamed him my “Chenille” dog.
It’s fitting that I got Indiana for Thanksgiving, because I couldn’t be more grateful to all of the people who helped bring darling Yasha over. He was a sweet puppy and is growing up to be an awesome dog. You all worked together to give him a chance at a better life and I promise that we are going to make the most of it.
With Thanks and Much Love
Stephanie and Indiana – then Yasha
Apr 16, 2017
Adopted on Jan 08, 2012 – Archer Family
When Opal first came to us on January 8, 2012, she was a very shy girl. After the first month she adjusted to our schedule and routines beautifully. Nothing better than living with two old retired folks.
Every morning she greets the day with a good stretch and a patrol around the property. She then likes to watch me feed the goldfish in our fish pond. She tilts her head to the side and watches the fish gather in a group, wagging their fish tails in anticipation of food.
Then it is time to go get the newspaper at the bottom of our hill. I love how she bows down with her legs straight in front of her when my husband Tom puts her easy walk harness on her.
When she is all hooked up she shimmies from head to tail and is ready to go. She shimmies whenever she is excited. Tom, Opal and our cat Shasta walk down the dirt driveway that goes to our neighbors homes, then down a dirt path to the mailbox at the bottom of the hill. When they return we all have breakfast.
After breakfast, Tom and Opal walk up our paved road foe 1 1/2 miles. They are often joined by our neighbors two chocolate labs and a boxer mix named Pablo. Opal loves her walks and is super good on leash. She is also quite the huntress. Occasionally she has pounced on golpher holes and has caught a few golphers and moles.
She also shows alot of interest toward squirrels, but because she is on leash she has not caught any yet. In the afternoon Opal takes a ride with me to pick up my granddaughter Amber, from school in Sebastopol. She likes to ride in my little Yaris. Its just the right size and easy to get in and out of. We take Amber (she is 18 Yrs old) home and usually visit for a short time and Opal plays with Ambers 9 month old puppy Nova, and older dog Daisy (who is the same age as Opal).
If my daughter and granddaughter visit on the weekend, they bring their dogs to play with Opal. They love to run around the yard. Nova is a big fan of ball chasing and Opal is learning from her. Opal has started to chase the ball but has quite figured out how to bring it back. She is playing more and even has a small stuffed toy that squeeks when chewed in the right spot. She keeps this close by her bed.
Opal used to leap up and run from the room whenever I swept the floor. She was also very uncomfortable whenever I worked in the garden with the hose or a rake. I know that she had a bad experience with a dog hating gardener in Iran, so I try to be very sensitive to her fears. If I have to sweep, I leave the front door open so she can go outside if she wants.
She usually sits just outside the door and watches me , then comes back inside when I am finished.
Opal has become very territorial. She patrols the yard now and barks if anyone is walking or bicycling by on the road.
We live in a remote wooded area and don’t have a lot of people traffic. On weekends we do occasionally have bicycle touring groups going up our road. Sometimes there are as many as 50 – 100 bicyclists. Opal will stand up on the bank in our yard and look down on the road as the bicyclists go by and barks. She has become very protective at night which is fine with us as we like to know when someone is out there on the road. She has a deep bark, very impressive. When I tell her that’s enough, she stops.
If the weather is not too stormy we all (cat included) go for a short walk down the driveway, in the late afternoon. I have noticed one interesting change in Opals eyes. Her pupils were very small and narrow when she first came to us. Now I’ve noticed her pupils are larger and rounder over all. Interesting. The other day she was sitting by herself on the back deck looking around at her domain, seemingly very content and looking very regal.
I believe Opal is happy with her new forever family, and we are blessed to have her in our lives. Through all her past pains and uncertainty, she has shown a resilience that is noble. I am so glad that there are kind and generous people in Iran and Vafa who made this all possible. The angels are smiling upon all of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely,
Jamie Archer
P.S. I have include some pictures of Opals new home so you can see where she lives. It’s a little different.
Apr 16, 2017
Adopted by Amanda & Jason Reynaert – Nov 14, 2011 – Ontario, Canada
Hello Friends, It’s Kopol here.
I’m so happy to be here in Canada with my new family! They changed my name to Polo. They were inspired from their recent trip to Venice Italy, and the fact that just like Marco Polo I travelled the world too!
I joined my mom and dad in November along with my big brother Bear. I’ve heard a lot about their angel Mackee and how by him passing on they were able to welcome me into their family. They tell me all the time that I keep them hopping 😉 I love my new family so much that I’m always listening to see if there is any danger coming our way – they call me Radar because my one ear is always listening. I’m slowly learning to trust Mom & Dad that they aren’t going to let anything happen to me.
My brother Bear is still getting use to the idea of having a younger sister who wants to play all the time. I think I play a little to rough for the boy. I’m learning how to play fair and we both really love to run! Mom and Dad introduced me to Bear’s favourite spot this past weekend. It’s now my favourite spot too! It’s a big, beautiful piece of farm land that has a great big swimming hole in the middle! I jumped in and brrrrrrrrrr…. it was COLD! But I can’t wait for it to warm up so that I can swim in it like my big brother does!
I want to thank everyone that helped get me here to my new family. I’m so excited about the summer and moving into a new house with mom & dad. They tell me it has a bigger back yard and it’s really close to the big swimming hole! We’ll get some photos of me swimming soon! xoxo Polo (aka Kopol)
My mom attached a few photos of me.
