VAFA Animal Shelter, Iran

Using Public Transportation to get to VAFA

2011-07-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

VAFA Animal Shelter is located outside of Tehran. It takes an hour and a half to get there by car. However, if you do not have a car, you can use public transportation to get there. Here's how:

Take the Metro Green Line to the end (westbound): Golshahr station (250 Tomans).
At Golshahr Station, take a shared cab to the New Township of Hashtgerd @ Shahrdari Square (1,200 Tomans).
At Shahrdari Square, get a taxi for about 2,000 to 3,000 Tomans to VAFA Shelter. Negotiate this price and tell the driver you will need a ride back. Take his number.

Total cost: 3,450 to 4,450 Tomans, about $3 to $4. Not bad!

Vaccination

2011-04-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Vaccination at the shelter requires the help of everyone, including our very professional VAFA volunteers who have learned how to vaccinate the dogs with the supervision of our veterinarians. In these photos, the puppies are doing very well with getting their shots. Shy when they had their first round, they now come forward to have their second round of vaccines.

In these photos, Ali, one of our main volunteers and organizers, helps the veterinarian by administrating a few of the vaccines with the help of Atussa, another one of our devoted volunteers. Thank you, Farah Azari, for taking the pictures and the movie clip and sending them to us.

Art for Donation

2011-02-06T12:52:00.001-08:00

Donate to VAFA and get a portrait of your pet!

Artist Sheyda Ardalan will make a portrait of your pet if you make a donation to VAFA.

Donate $200.00 and you will receive one 24 x 36 color linoleum print (as in engraving/etching) of your pet - They are printed on excellent, 100% cotton, acid free, soft sized, and buffered fine printmaking paper which are mould-made in France with a smooth, absorbent surface. Sizes will vary depending on paper availability.

Donate $300 and you receive 2 (perfect if you have 2 pets OR want to give a 2nd one as a gift)

All sizes are in inches.

You do not have a pet? No problem. Will do portraits of people.

Contact Sheyda Ardalan at sheydaardalan@gmail.com

About the artist:
Dr. Sheyda Ardalan is a professor of Art and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City where she teaches a graduate course in art education. Sheyda is a full time art teacher at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, CT and teaches computer art, painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and art appreciation.

Sheyda Ardalan received her BFA in Fine Art and Illustration from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY; her MA in Art Education and her Ed.D in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York.

Sheyda travels to Iran every summer where she paints and conducts free art workshops in remote villages. She has also conducted art workshops in a juvenile detention center for girls in Tehran.

http://mokarramehartworkshops.blogspot.com/

Sheydaardalan.com

The Stray Dogs of Iran

2011-01-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

The stray dogs in Iran are not considered "purebred", however, their ancestors have roamed the Iranian plateau for thousands of years and they have been depicted on the pottery pieces found at Chogha Zanbil and Tape Sialk and the walls of Persepolis. Their cousins are depicted on the ancient temples of Egypt and carved on the walls of the Assyrian temples. They may be considered mutts, but they are part of a family of dogs, the Saluki or Middle Eastern Hound, who have roamed the Middle East for many centuries. They are one of the earliest breeds to diverge from wolves and are the oldest known breed of domesticated dog.

The Middle Eastern Hound as depicted on a Bactrian silver vase.

The Middle Eastern Hound, as depicted on an ancient Egyptian temple wall.

Adopting from VAFA

2011-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

PAPERWORK:
First, get Dr. Abedi to help you. He is the best vet, very caring, and will do everything to help. He also donates a lot of his time to VAFA and does the work for them.
Micro chip (the vet in Iran will help you get it)
Health Certificat of Small Animal (شناسنامه حیوانات کوچک) (the vet will get the certificate and stamp it for you)
Small Animal ID Card (کارت شناسایی حیوانات کوچک) (the vet will do this, also)
Veterinary Health Certificate for export Dog from I.R. Iran (that's the way they have it written on the form!!!!!!) issued at the Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Veterinary Organization (I called twice before I went there to make sure I had all the documents they needed, but they failed to tell me to bring my own passport, however, the same unorganized approach to things was what helped: the woman said to fax a copy of my passport later, which I did)

THE COST:
If you take a dog with you, that is, if you have a ticket yourself and are also flying, it's not bad. It cost me $230.00 for Max's ticket plus $215.00 for the KLM pet hotel in Amsterdam, where they take your dog out of the kennel for a walk and water him and so on. The kennel itself was about $150.00, which I purchased in Tehran and used as his bed/house while at my mother's. The kennel is a good one and big, so he grew into it and I still use it when I need to travel with him. Round it out to around $500.00. However, if you are not traveling with your pet, it costs about $1,000.00 just for the ticket. VAFA volunteers can always find someone who is coming and is willing to take on the kennel under his/her name.

If you would like to bring a small dog with you on the plane and keep your dog with on at your seat (on the floor at your feet), the price is much less. I think it is only $150.00, but you need a pet carrier, one of the soft, cloth ones.

One of the wonderful VAFA volunteers takes Lucy to the airport to meet the travelers who will take her with them to the USA.

VAFA volunteer takes Lucy through security.

Lucy's traveling documents and health records.

The wonderful people who agreed to "tag" Lucy along with them for the trip to the USA.

Lucy is delivered to one of our many USA VAFA volunteers at the airport in San Francisco.

Lucy is taken for a walk at the airport by the USA VAFA volunteer.

During the first week, Lucy visits our regular veterinarian.

Lucy at her foster home in the San Francisco Bay area.

The Persian Word for Dog: SAG

2011-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

The word Dog in Persian is Sag. Sag is derived from the words Sa and Yag or Seh and Yak which mean 3 and 1, or 1/3. The ancient Iranians believed that 1/3 of the essence of the dog was human. Nice, no? But what has happened since?

The above silver cup, located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is from Bactria in central Asia which used to be part of ancient Iran. It dates back to late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C. It is over four thousand years old and shows dogs helping their master in a hunt. These dogs look very much like most of the dogs at VAFA Animal Shelter in Iran.

Recent Pictures from VAFA

2010-02-07T11:25:00.001-08:00

Here are some recent pictures from VAFA, courtesy of Mehrdad Roghani. Some new puppies have joined the shelter and the older dogs seem to be surviving the harsh, cold winter with the help of the volunteers and Agha Karam Fakouri & Aghah Gholam Nemati, the shelter's two full time employees.

Seda

2009-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

My name is Seda. It means voice in Persian. Sharareh, who is one of the members of VAFA, found me almost dead and chose this name for me since I was barking so much.
When I was young 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 then abandoned me. I was an old dog wandering the desert. 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 remained there for a very long time and I was very thirsty when suddenly a slender lady with two boys came near me. The lady asked the boys to help move me to her car. I remember when they left 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 and the only other thing I remember is that I drank a lot of water that night. She took a lot of care of me but I was barking so much that her neighbors complained, so she had to transfer me to the shelter. I was the oldest dog and everybody respected me. I was especially loved by Solmaz, another member of the VAFA. We became good friends and I would wait for her every Friday. She loved me so much that she would bring me treats and special food. I am happy to be here and I am a lucky dog!

Seda died of old age in peace and quiet on 20 September, 2006 after being in our shelter for two years. During the last year of her life, Seda enjoyed much respect and had a comfortable life.

Shoja

2009-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

My name is Shoja. It means brave in Persian. I am eleven 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 cruel young man found me and made me fight with his own dog which was big and strong. I was afraid, so I began to cry but nobody came to help me. At one point, I was about to flee but that person hit me and pushed me back. At this time my leg was hurting me so much that I couldn't even run away. So the big dog was biting and choking me and I could do nothing. Right at that moment a miracle happened: a lady by the name of Mrs. Samira Moghadam who is from the shelter was passing by. She and her husband, Mr.Kashani, saw me. They got out off their car and after a huge argument with that man were able to take me away in their car. My leg was broken, so I stayed in Mrs.Esna-Ashari's home for awhile to receive medical care and then later I was taken to the shelter. Although I was crying very hard at that time, I am one of the calmest and kindest dogs of the shelter now.

Tala

2009-12-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

My name is Tala. It means gold in Persian. Because I was pure bred and pretty, my greedy and cruel owner treated me like a puppy making machine...to the point that I became very very weak. The last time, I gave birth to 9 puppies and was so sick that I couldn't even feed them. My owner threw us away and 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.Esna-Ashari 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 want to enjoy the care and attention I now receive.

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

Some recent pictures from VAFA.

Jimbo

2009-12-09T15:21:00.001-08:00

From International.bestfriends.org

By Lida Esnaashari, Manager of VAFA, in Iran
Translated into English by Raheleh Panjetab Tabrizi

Lida Asnaashari, the Manager of the only dog shelter in Iran, VAFA, attended the Asia for Animals Conference in Bali in August of 2008.
Just three days later, she had a terrible car accident, was hospitalized for several days, and has spent many months recovering. Animals don't always wait until we feel well before asking for our help--and this is the story of Jimbo….Editor

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 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 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.

Since writing this story, Lida has written to us that Jimbo is now seven months old. He is fine, healthy, and has been adopted by Lida's cousin, who loves him dearly.

Lida, who struggled to care for Jimbo in spite of her own pain, is now very much better, is able to get around with a cane, and will soon be back at work managing the VAFA shelter. VAFA is the first and only shelter in Iran; they care for a great many dogs until they can find loving homes…Editor

Puppies

2009-11-12T18:13:00.001-08:00

These adorable puppies will never know the cruelty of the streets. Fortunately for them, they were either born in the shelter or rescued from the street with their mother very early in their lives. These puppies will spend time hanging out, knowing each other, and running around while they grow. Sometimes one or two of them get adopted, but since in general people like to adopt purebreds, they end up staying in the shelter.

If only people realized how highly intelligent mutts are and how much they appreciate any kindness that is given them, then maybe more would be adopted and we would not have so many strays.

Some of the mothers adopt the puppies who have lost their own mothers. The mother dogs are amazingly kind and patient, nursing as many puppies as they can. This mother, although burdened with her own litter, feeds other puppies who have been orphaned. Some of the mothers continue to nurse incoming orphaned puppies in the nursery, even as their own puppies are weaned and move on. This is what we know as true motherly love.

Introducing VAFA Animal Shelter in Iran

2009-11-08T05:40:00.001-08:00

VAFA Animal Shelter is located in the town of Hashtgerd, about an hour and a half west/northwest of Tehran on the road to Ghazvin. It was put together with the hard work of Ms. Fatemeh Motamedi who has a deep love for animals of all shape and size and donated her land and organized the building of the shelter with her own funds. At present, the shelter is under the management of Ms. Neda Mahmoodi and is run by a group of devoted volunteers and caring veterinarians who donate much of their services. The shelter also has three full time employees; a driver - Mr. Karam Fakoori - and two caregivers. The shelter is home to over 300 dogs and the entire operations are funded by donations. This blog is to help familiarize people with the shelter and the hard work of the people who make it possible. Please use the listed contact information for any questions you might have.

The blog is also a way of introducing the idea of adopting dogs from Iran. We love animals and adopt them regularly, but we seldom contemplate adopting one from Iran. Max and Saachi (the dogs I adopted) are incredibly bright dogs and he learned good behavior and commands very quickly. They are both very appreciative of everything that we do for them and are a great example of how positive dog adoption from Iran can be. To read about Max, scroll down to the next blog: "Adopting Max".

Meysam, a devoted volunteer, in front of the shelter.

The first yard in the shelter where the dogs roam freely and socialize.

The second yard in the shelter where more dogs are placed.

Volunteers giving the dogs dust baths against fleas and ticks.

Dr. Mahjoob Aghamohamadi, one of the young veterinarians who volunteers her time.

The dogs find relief from the hot sun under a few scattered canopies.

Agha Karam, one of the three full time employees, sharing some bonding time with the dogs.

The dogs are for the most part very friendly and will greet you endlessly. There are a few who are very timid and will not come near anyone, no matter how much you try.

Another view of the shelter.

The pool provides a great place for the dogs to hang out and socialize; it's also the place where you'll find them on a hot day.

Most of the dogs love the water and are great swimmers.

Agha Karam relaxing with the dogs by the pool.

The cinder tubes, or cement tubes, are an inexpensive way of providing shelter from heat and cold for the dogs.

The house for older puppies.

Distribution of recently donated dog toys to the puppies. At first, the pups didn't know what to do with them, but with some encouragement form the volunteers, they caught on.

A mother and her pups in the nursery.

One of the pups in the shelter was a purebred German Shepherd who was abandoned when his owner decided he didn't want him. On my second visit, he had been adopted. The purebreds are more fortunate as people will adopt them and give them some care. It's the mutts who suffer the most.

Lunch break for the volunteers. Lunch, of course, was vegetarian.

Agha Gholam (on right), one of the previous caretakers, with a few of the volunteers at VAFA Animal Shelter in Hashtgerd, Iran.

Adopting Max

2009-11-07T17:33:00.001-08:00

On my first visit to VAFA in late July of 2009, I noticed a puppy with his ears and tail cut off. He was very timid and when I approached him, he would run away. I was able to pick him up after I cornered him but knew he was not comfortable. I knew right away that he had suffered a very cruel and painful beginning and decided to adopt him. Once I made my decision, the shelter and the veterinarians started working on getting his papers together. I named him Max because he reminded me of my sister's dog, Pax.

Very shy, Max would run away if I got too close to him. He would often rest, like most of the puppies, because he was malnourished and sickly.

One of the rare times that I was able to hold Max. He was not too sure what was happening.

I could not bring Max to my mother's apartment right away. She didn't feel too happy about having a dog, so I waited until a few days before my departure and then I brought him over. I purchased a kennel for him and got all his paperwork together. I kept him in the balcony which I would spray with water to cool off the air a bit.

Max trying to figure out what is going on in his life.

Max came to me with a small puncture in his neck and after a day I called Dr. Abedi, the Shelter's main veterinarian. When he came over, Dr. Abedi had to shave Max's neck, open up the wound and clean it up; that's when we found out Max had actually been bit by a dog at the shelter. Fortunately, Dr. Abedi is a superb doctor and did a wonderful job cleaning and draining his wound and I was able to pass Max through customs at Kennedy International Airport in New York without any problems. This is one of the last pictures of Max in Iran.

Max is finally home in the USA, relaxing after his long trip over.

Bijhan taking care of Max.

Max during one of his visits to the dog park. He is very good with smaller dogs, but shies away from bigger ones.

Aaaah, all this is mine to run around!

Max starts to get used to his new home and puts on some weight after a few visits to Quarry Ridge Animal Hospital.

Max is on his way to being a very healthy dog. He sleeps in our room, in a crate which he likes, and has a few beds around the house to lie down on.

Max loves to play soccer with Bijhan.

Catch the ball!

Max waiting for his cookie.

Time to go inside.

This carpet was purchased just for my use!