The Potter League for Animals announced today that they will be receiving four dogs who were rescued from the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan in partnership with Nowzad, Afghanistan’s first animal shelter and rescue resource center, on Thursday, August 29th.
The Nowzad Charity was founded in 2007 by Sgt. Pen Farthing with a mission to reunite Soldiers with their Battle Buddies and provide vital Animal Welfare to Afghanistan.
With strong ties to our military community, the Potter League for Animals and Nowzad established a “sister shelter” relationship in 2017 to support their mission of reuniting soldiers with the dogs and cats that they rescue and bond with on the front lines in Afghanistan.
Related: We spoke to Joan Johnson-Freese, the Potter League For Animals Board President, about the Potter League’s relationship with Nowzad back in 2018.
To date Nowzad has reunited over 1200 soldiers with their battle buddies. “The Potter League has been proud to be able to help bring attention and funding to our sister shelter, Nowzad, in recent years. Now we are able to help in yet another way, bringing dogs to Newport where they can find great new homes.” Bread Shear, Executive Director of the Potter League said in a press release.
“We are in a community with big hearts for all animals and these dogs may have come from far away, but I am certain they will be welcomed to the safety of Aquidneck Island like old friends. Accepting these dogs is just one of the many ways the Potter League is reaching out to animals in need, and we will continue to help whenever we are able.” Shear continued.
The dogs will need to be in isolation for five days, as Rhode Island State law requires. All dogs will be spayed or neutered, up to date on their vaccinations and also microchipped, prior to adoption. Pending medical and behavioral assessments, they will be soon be available for adoption.
Diesel, Linus, Tope and Zeus are all the 4 dogs who will be arriving in Rhode Island from in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 29th.
You can read their compelling ‘tails’ of how they get there below.
Diesel:
Diesel was found as a tiny puppy in a motor garage on the streets of Kabul, terrified and in pain after being hit by a car. In the safety of the Nowzad clinic, they were able to confirm that he had a broken pelvis. Thankfully, with treatment and lots of TLC he soon made a full recovery. They named him ‘Diesel’, as his white fur was stained black with diesel when they found him.
Linus:
Linus has been at the Nowzad Shelter for over 6 years now. She was once a much loved family pet in Afghanistan, but sadly her Afghan family had moved out of their house and into an apartment where they were unable to keep her. They took Linus in at the shelter where she has been ever since.
Tope:
Tope was found as a tiny puppy struggling to survive on his own. He was brought to the Nowzad clinic where he found comfort by always having a ball with him. This shy and scared little pup soon grew into a big gentle giant who loves other dogs and people alike. They decided that ‘Tope’ would be the perfect name for him, as it translates to ‘ball’ in Dari.
Zeus:
Zeus was found as a sweet little pup on the streets of Kabul by a kind Afghan lady who realized that he was struggling to walk. She brought him straight to the Nowzad clinic where their Veterinarians discovered, like Diesel, he was suffering with a broken femur, most likely as a result of being hit by a car. Like Diesel, Zeus went on to make a full recovery.
The Potter League currently has many dogs and cats available for adoption, so we ask that anyone looking to help animals in need, to please consider giving a home to those currently up for adoption.
Please visit their website www.potterleague.org for more information.