The Only Animal Shelter In Afghanistan

While scrolling through Twitter, as I do every day about fifty times, I saw a post on one of my favorite accounts that was quite unusual and a bit shocking. The account is @TheGoldenRatio4 (go follow them if you don't already, you won't regret it). The account's main person has five golden retrievers and has recently begun to foster a sixth one, but she runs marathons and ultramarathons frequently.

A soldier stationed in Afghanistan named Chris Jones has been posting about puppies they have rescued and the limited resources of the one official animal shelter in Afghanistan. The fact that there is only one official shelter for the whole country is very saddening to me because statistically, that means that there are multitudes of animals that have to suffer either by themselves or for people wanting to help them but have no resources. There is also the reality of stray dogs and cats that are not fixed who roam around only growing their population.

The shelter is called Nowzad and is located in Kabul. They serve as a safe place for over 130 dogs and house over 40 previously stray cats. They recently started rehabilitating working donkeys in a calm and peaceful environment. The shelter feeds its dogs "human food" such as a soup of rice, naan bread, meat, carrots, and potatoes because traditional dog food is hard to find. The shelter also provides daily health checks for all animals and treats any issues that arise immediately.

While these people are doing wonderful work, they also help soldiers who have bonded with stray dogs or cats be reunited with them after their tour is over. The shelter pays for the spay/neutering of the animal and any medical attention the pet may need. To date, Nowzad has reunited over 1200 animals to the compassionate and brave soldiers who had bonded with them. If you are willing or wanting to know how you can help this great cause and learn more about what all Nowzad is involved in you can visit the website Nowzad.com

If you are in the United States, you can buy items off this list and send to Chris's military address and he will deliver them to the shelter.

There is also an Amazon UK wishlist where you can send the shelter supplies that will keep the animals fed, warm, and cared for.

Anything you donate will help these animals have a better life than without your help. I encourage you to please share this for the sake of the animals and the shelter workers.