Despite the teachings of Islam and the kindness that the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) showed towards animals – including dogs, the Iranian government have imposed various bans and penalties on dog ownership and handling, and, more drastically, a large campaign has been underway to destroy all stray dogs.
The members of the general public in Iran have also been encouraged to undertake killings of dogs, and are even being rewarded for it. Many such inhumane attempts result in prolonged suffering for the hapless victims.
Many of us understand and respect the Islamic views on dogs and their cleanliness. However, as citizens with no affiliations other than to our conscience, we also value life bestowed by God, and consider sinful acts that inflict suffering upon animals. Therefore, we ask the Iranian government to stop any unnecessary taking of dogs’ lives, and refrain from causing needless suffering for these animals. We feel that the issue of lack of cleanliness of stray dogs and their presence in and around towns and cities should be viewed in the light of a larger picture of hygiene in the Iranian society, where not enough attention has been paid to other health-related matters such as general food safety, disposal of clinical and hospital waste, road safety, air pollution, contamination of rivers and reservoirs that feed into waters that are used for public consumption, etc.
Rescued dog in China
We believe that the decision to destroy stray dogs in Iran has been taken as an easy choice and without any proper assessment of other possible options. In view of the gravity of the matter, we therefore urge the Iranian government to review their course of action, and show the merci that was shown to them by the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Their on-going actions do very little for their image both within and outside Iranian borders. We sincerely urge the Iranian government to undertake consultations with animal welfare groups and societies both within and outside Iran to find better and more humane ways of tackling the problem of stray dogs in Iran.
The link to see and sign the petition is
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/killingdogsiniran
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Haiku is a neutered male Husky – about 1 year and 3 months old.
He is currently living in Iran and his family needs to get him out as there’s been major crackdown on homes with dogs! Even though the law has not been ‘officially’ put in to effect, authorities are giving some large dog owners ultimatums. Haiku’s family reached out to Vafa Shelter to see if they can help find him a loving home in the US.
Haiku’s dad says:
He’s very friendly with people–especially likes men, as his best friend is a man 
He would love to be a family pet where he can get lots of love from his human pack members. He doesn’t care for aggressive or growling dogs so he sometimes growls back at them as all huskies do, Haiku needs minimum twice daily exercise as he’s full of energy. He’s had all his vaccinations, and will have had his rabies and microchip done before arriving in the US.
Hakui
We are hoping to fly him to SFO (San Francisco Bay Area) by Mid-September. Ideal would be to find a loving family who is experienced with the breed or is up to the challenge of adopting a Husky dog. Living in SF Bay Area is ‘not’ a must — IF you are that perfect family
If you are interested to learn more about Haiku and like to meet him, please fill out this online application at http://tinyurl.com/vafa-animal-shelter and feel free to contact me.
Farah Ravon
408.431.6954
kfravon@yahoo.com
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Stray dog issue in Iranian Press
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