Nowzad Dogs - One Dog at a Time

When we were at the Animal Aid Cruelty Free Fair in Exeter in November I bought a book from a stall for Nowzad Dogs, a charity that rescues stray and abandoned animals in Afghanistan.  I thought it looked like an interesting book for my brother in law, an ex US marine who served in Afghanistan who is also very fond of his extended family of dogs.  Between him and my sister they have four dogs at their home in Alaska, one of which was a stray that my sister rescued whilst on a business trip to South Korea. 

Naturally I wanted to read the book first to make sure it was a good recommendation!  I wasn't disappointed.  It was a gripping read and one that will remain in my mind for some time yet on many different levels.  It is far from an easy read with your heart being wrenched in empathy for Pen Farthing's desperate attempts to make a difference, both with canine and human souls caught up in the conflict.  Your feelings regarding conflict aside, it is a real insight into the everyday world of soldiers slap bang in the middle of it all and the different ways that they find to deal with the stress.  The lengths Pen, his colleagues, family and friends went to in order to rescue the original strays that adopted him as their guardian is determination personified.  It laid the groundwork for any soldier stationed over there to not have to go through the same torment in trying to find a better life for stray animals that have adopted them as well as making huge steps in improving the general welfare of animals over there. 

Nowzad Dogs also quite rightly go to great lengths to stress that there are plenty of four legged friends requiring loving homes over here too.  On the eve of Christmas Day this is a particularly apt moment for such thoughts given the amount of animals abandoned at this time of year.  However, there is no doubt that the work that Nowzad Dogs does in Afghanistan reaches another level of compassion by at least providing the one and only reliable rescue in the country.

I will be passing on 'One Dog at a Time' to my brother in law but in the meantime I will be ordering  the sequel for myself.  I truly want to follow the continuing story and work of the resulting official charity.  I implore you to look them up, read the story for yourself and be inspired and heartened by the compassion and dedication show by Pen and his crew.