Some of the animals will be reunited with their owners while others will be put up for adoption
Hundreds of animals stranded in Afghanistan arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday night, after more than six months of rescue efforts by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
A total of 158 dogs and 146 cats touched down at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) aboard a specially converted Russian Ilyushin 76-TD aircraft after stops in Turkey and Iceland.
SPCA International said partners in Kabul reached out to them regarding the pets when U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
The groups hoped to evacuate the animals to North America at the time of the withdrawal, but the volatile situation combined with logistical issues resulted in the delay.
“These animals have been on the plane for quite some time,” Lori Kalef, director of programs for SPCA International, said prior their arrival. “We had to reroute at the last minute due to the conflict going on in Russia.”
From YVR, the animals will be transferred to a specially constructed 1,600-square metre facility.
Kalef said about 66 of the animals will be reunited with their owners, while another two dozen will stay with the SPCA until their owners are able to retrieve them.
The others will be put up for adoption across North America.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the animals can visit the SPCA International website. Applications will be handled by SPCA International and the B.C.-based RainCoast Dog Rescue Society.
Treacherous rescue mission
In a statement, the SPCA said numerous pets were left behind in shelters when their owners fled the country following the Taliban takeover.
A local charity, Kabul Small Animal Rescue, had saved more than 70 dogs from Kabul International Airport and rescued dozens of other animals abandoned by owners when they were forced to flee.
Rehomed Deaf Dog Is Certain She’s Going Back To The Shelter Once Again
In the United States, 5–10% of canines are deaf. Some dogs become deaf as they age, while others are born without hearing. A cochleosaccular gene mutation is commonly the cause of hereditary deafness. Dogs with white coats and blue eyes are more likely to have this type of deafness.
Pit bull named Blu has piercing blue eyes and a white coat. Blu is deaf.
She remained unvisited day after day in an animal shelter.
Luckily, business colleagues Mark and Sean were looking to adopt a deaf dog in the San Francisco area. Two were located at Family Dog Rescue. Blu was one of them.
She was vibrant and full of life when Mark and Sean first met her at the shelter. Mark informed GeoBeats Animals that “she took an immediate strong connection to Sean and the rest is pretty much history.”
Blu’s first owners got in touch with them to let them know he had been living with them for six years. Blu was put in a shelter when they were forced to move into a rental home that forbade pit bulls.
One of the guests that stayed in the refuge the longest was Blu.
One of the reasons it took her some time to feel comfortable around her new dads was that she had been alone for a long time.
Blu was unsure about their intentions for her and whether they intended to send her back to the shelter.
“In fact, she was afraid on the first car ride we brought her on to the beach, which was a few days after we bought her.
” Mark said, “She was just shaking in the back.
According to Mark and Sean, Blu’s personality expanded as she felt more at ease around them.
Three years later, Blu still enjoys traveling in cars after receiving lots of love and attention.
Blu was made aware of Mark and Sean’s love and yearning.
They and Blu have grown so close that they have their own unique communication style
Blu can determine where they’re going by watching her father’s movements, and she even sniffs their feet while out on a stroll.
She is probably my spirit animal, I suppose. I can sense when she’s tense, happy, or depressed. Sean said, “We just read each other pretty well.
Blu recognizes that the wiggles on Mark and Sean’s fingers are signs that she is doing okay. Sean’s stern gaze tells her to calm down.
Additionally, they worked with a trainer to teach Blu stress-relieving techniques like stretching.
The fact that Blu is deaf has no effect on how she lives her life or interacts with her new owners.
According to Mark, it only affects Blu’s ability to build relationships with other canines.
It’s beautiful to see how much Blu means to Mark and Sean.
The reciprocity of the emotion is also obvious. Blu seems to be comfortable with her new family, happy, and healthy. We are ecstatic that Blu has found a place to call her new dads home.
Below, you can watch the heartwarming tale of pit bull Blu and her two dads
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