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.
12-year-old boy builds Lego wheelchair for dog born without legs
Gracie is a puppy who due to a birth defect was born without her front legs. She was immediately dumped by her owners but before eventually ending up in a vets office. At the time, the little puppy had lost patches of hair and had maggots crawling on her but she did not lose her will to live. Gracie was slowly nursed back to health and her life turned around completely when she was adopted by a loving family who instantly fell in love with the puppy even despite her disability.
The puppy was adopted by the Turney family that also happens to run an animal shelter. They had already adopted one paralyzed dog before and had experience in taking care of a disabled pet.
Naturally, Gracie had trouble walking but was too small for a wheelchair so the family had to come up with some sort of a solution.
That’s where 12-year-old Dylan came to help – the boy used LEGO bricks to make a wheelchair for Gracie.
A LEGO wheelchair was perfect for the rapidly growing puppy – it was cheap and easy to adjust.
With a little trial and error, Gracie got the hang of the wheelchair.
Soon enough she was running around like any little puppy her age!
Eventually, as Gracie got bigger, Dylan added bigger wheels to the wheelchair.
The puppy got an “adult” wheelchair as she got older.
Gracie’s story proves that any puppy can live a happy and fulfilling life with the help of caring and loving owners.
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