Help us rescue this dog

We just got word that we are able to bring Solha home from Afghanistan!

It’s taken a long time to figure out the logistics of this rescue for a few critical reasons:

1) The dog rescue agency Jake has been working with, Nowzad, is desperate for funds.  Their shelter in Afghanistan is completely overcrowded with a backlog of animals waiting for transport that probably won’t happen due to lack of resources.  Most Nowzad staffers do not get paid.  They rely exclusively on public donations to survive.  Because they have no money, communication is spotty.  Jake was beginning to think they weren’t interested in his case because he rarely heard from them. But he realized it’s not that — it’s because Nowzad is a dog shelter run by Westerners in a country where dogs are regarded as vermin and Westerners as infidels.  Nowzad is run by civilians; they do not have military protection.  To do what they do is extremely brave…or foolish, depending on your point of view. (You can read about the history of Nowzad here…it’s very inspiring!)

2) It’s Afghanistan, a country with no infrastructure and a lot of roadside bombs. There is no mail service. There are no in-country shipping companies.  DHL, FedEx and UPS, which run intermittently out of Afghanistan, do not ship live animals.  Afghan highways aren’t exactly Autobahn quality.  It’s not feasible to transport a dog by truck because the journey is simply too dangerous, especially considering that Nowzad’s shelter is located as far from Jake’s base as possible.  Which means Solha must be transported by plane.

3) It’s not cheap.  Nowzad quoted us a price of $2,500, plus in-country costs.  They haven’t provided any kind of cost breakdown so we don’t know exactly where the money goes, but my guess is it’s simply the cost of transporting a live animal by plane in a war torn country.

We are asking for donations to help cover the cost of Solha’s journey to the United States.  This dog has been through a lot and she’s not even two.  She survived in the desert before wandering onto Jake’s base as a puppy.  She survived a pit viper attack.  She can climb an 8-foot high chain link fence.  Despite these travails, she’s given Jake a lot of peace and companionship over there, and he knows that despite her wily tendencies (see the 8-foot high fence), she will make a great addition to our family (provided we build a big fence).   Her future is far less certain in Afghanistan.

If you would like to help us bring her home, please click the DONATE button on the Rurally Screwed homepage, upper left.  All funds go to Nowzad.  If we end up raising more money than the cost of the rescue, all proceeds will still go to Nowzad as there are many, many dogs and cats in that part of the world in need of a safe and loving home.  If something happens to Solha during transport — which Nowzad said has happened in the past — all monies will still go to their organization.  If we raise less than the required amount, Jake and I will gratefully shore up the rest.  If you feel uncomfortable making a donation through this blog, feel free to make a donation directly to Nowzad, but please specify Solha by name in a note.

Lastly, this rescue is slated to happen very quickly, as in, within the next month.  So if you do wish to donate, please do not hesitate — we need to turn over funds to Nowzad as soon as possible.

UPDATE:   You can also “like” or post this link to your Facebook page or Twitter account.   Spread the word!

Thank you again for your support.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending to this story.

UPDATE: The fundraiser is over. We have reached our financial goals. If you would still like to make a donation toward rescuing animals in war torn countries, please donate to the animal rescue agency Nowzad directly. They need all the help they can get. Thank you!

Tagged as: afghanistan, nowzad, solha