Iran's only dog shelter struggles to provide for canines
Iranian volunteer Rana Ashough and her colleague groom a dog at the Vafa Animal Shelter in the city of Hashtgerd, Iran, 43 miles west of the capital Tehran.
Man’s best friend is seen as anything but in Iran, where city workers gun down strays and conservatives view pet dogs as a corrupting Western influence. But in a rare animal shelter in the countryside west of Tehran, hundreds of lucky pups have found mercy, and a growing number of Iranians are choosing to adopt them.
The shelter struggles to find homes for dogs, with only around six being adopted each month. Iranians, like many other prospective dog owners, prefer purebreds to strays, something the shelter is trying to change.
Iranian dog shelter
Dogs cling to Iranian volunteer Hengameh Samifar as she tries to work at the Vafa Animal Shelter in the city of Hashtgerd.
More than 500 dogs find care and affection at the Vafa Animal Shelter, which was established through an endowment in 2004 and is the country’s only licensed animal refuge.
Iranian dog shelter
Two dogs gather on a visitor's car at the Vafa Animal Shelter.
Iranian dog shelter
Volunteer Roya Ahmadi cleans dogs cages at the Vafa Animal Shelter.
Iranian dog shelter
Volunteers Roya Ahmadi, left, and Asal Moghaddam release dogs from their cages to feed them at the Vafa Animal Shelter.
Iranian dog shelter
Volunteer Asal Moghaddam takes dogs for a walk at the Vafa Animal Shelter in the city of Hashtgerd, Iran, 43 miles west of the capital Tehran.
Iranian dog shelter
In this Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 photo, Homa Rashid, a lawyer and volunteer at the Vafa Animal Shelter, rests with a dog.