A mixed-breed street dog named Papo chased toys and rolled in the sun on a recent clear day at a dog sanctuary in east Toronto.
It’s a change of pace for Papo after a long journey from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to Canada, where she arrived last month along with 10 other dogs who were evacuated from the country by the animal welfare group No Dogs Left Behind.
The group’s spokesman, Jeffrey Berry, said the organization has brought hundreds of dogs and cats from Kabul to Canada since January after the animals were left behind when U.S. troops withdrew from the country last summer.
“I hope they get the love and attention they so deserve,” Berry said of the Afghan dogs’ new lives in Canada.
The last 10 dogs to arrive were either too young or not strong enough to travel on the first flight in January. The organization now aims to foster and adopt them to new homes as quickly as possible once they are rehabilitated and vetted.
When the dogs first arrive at the no-abandonment shelter, Berry said they are often traumatized and must begin a rehabilitation process to trust humans again.
Consistency and routine are important factors in rehabilitating dogs, he said. Rescue dogs at the shelter have very strict schedules for eating, going outside, cleaning their shelters, and socializing with other dogs.
It was a complicated journey for the animals. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention banned the importation of dogs into the U.S. from countries it deemed high-risk for rabies, including Afghanistan, Berry said it’s becoming more difficult to get dogs to safety.
Papo, a rescue from Afghanistan who arrived in Canada on June 24, is pictured at No Dogs Left Behind in Toronto, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Papo, who was too young to be transported earlier this year, was one of the last 10 mixed breed street dogs from afghanistan have arrived at the shelter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tiana Martin
In January, Berry said he spent two weeks in Afghanistan evaluating small animal rescue dogs in Kabul. He then loaded them onto a private cargo plane and accompanied the animals on the journey to start their new lives in Canada.
“Finally the Afghans released the dogs for free, I congratulate them for that,” he said.
Back in Toronto, Berry recalled an emotional family reunion at the animal shelter this week when the father of Papo’s three puppies arrived days after the three young dogs.
“We were all crying,” Berry said. “He’s here, he’s free, he couldn’t be happier to see Papo and Papo couldn’t be happier to see him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 2, 2022.
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