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| ASAL |
| Two puppies waiting for adoption. |
By Carly Ikuma
Pam Constable, a journalist and lifelong animal lover, began reporting from Afghanistan in 2001. When stray animals congregated around her hotel in Kabul, she would feed them. Eventually, she adopted a puppy after his mother was poisoned by local authorities.
"For all the stories I covered and the friends I made, what gave real meaning and purpose to my years in Kabul was something else entirely," Constable says. "I had always been an animal lover, and the city was full of emaciated, sickly stray dogs and cats. My happiest hours in Afghanistan were spent nursing these animals back to health."
Despite ongoing distress in the war-torn land, Afghanistan is very slowly beginning to develop a culture of pets, according to Constable. In 2005, she set up the Afghan Stray Animal League as a U.S.-based charity to raise financial support and awareness for the animals of Afghanistan. The organization receives funding from Humane Society International and private donors.
The League supports a private shelter in Kabul which is staffed and operated entirely by Afghanis. The shelter operates as an adoption center, offering pet care tips and advice. All animals are sterilized and vaccinated before being adopted out.
The goal of the adoption program is to make people comfortable with the notion of animals as companions and the concept of pet ownership. Adopters are allowed to return pets to the shelter with no questions asked.
"Once people see an animal who is clean, happy and friendly, it changes their perception completely," Constable says. "Many people in Afghanistan are just not conscious of the concept of animal welfare, and knowledge of having pets is unusual."
Adopting Locally and Globally
Constable says that while she prefers that animals find good homes in Afghanistan, there are some who are better suited for a life in the United States.
Nelson, a Spaniel mix who was found badly lame from rickets and blind in one eye, is an example of what Constable calls "the amazing ability of an animal to forgive and forget what society has burdened them with in their lives."
"Every animal you help—it's a domino effect, it resonates," Constable says. "Every single person who came into contact with Nelson has changed in some way for the better."
Nelson was one of a few Afghani animals who have made the long journey to the United States. Five airplane flights—and the kindness of Northwest Airlines staff—brought him to a permanent home at a sanctuary in Oregon.
As long as Americans want to adopt and the animal is healthy enough to travel, there is nothing wrong with a small-scale international adoption program, believes Constable.
Helping Soldiers and the Strays They Rescue
Many American soldiers in Afghanistan find solace in taking care of stray animals, but U.S. military guidelines forbid keeping them. The League offers many of these soldiers a way to find good homes for the animals they have rescued. The strategy keeps the animals safe from possible euthanasia, and it gives the soldiers a sense of relief that their best friends will be looked after.
"This approach does not break the rules," Constable says. "It helps soldiers not to break the rules, by giving them a choice."
Yellow Tom and Dosty
Yellow Tom, a large male cat, was found emaciated, covered with fighting wounds and suffering from an upper respiratory infection. He was in such bad condition, Constable says, that he couldn't eat or even make a noise.
Within two weeks of rescue, Yellow Tom was recovering nicely. Despite his years of street life, he was "so glad to be out of the Rat Race, finally able to relax and be a happy cat. He is such a grateful boy," Constable relates.
Dosty the dog was found on the streets of Kabul one freezing night, so thin and malnourished that she could no longer walk. Constable carried her home and nursed her back to health. Dosty was transferred to a farm belonging to one of Constable's friends, where she stayed for a year before being adopted by a family in the United States. Constable said she visits Dosty, which means "pal" in Dari, in Maryland when she is back home between travels.
Constable's residence in Virginia is home to two dogs and five cats; her house in Afghanistan is home to many, many more.
"I have never found that you can't change an animal. You can see the animals relaxing before your eyes," Constable explains. "Animals know when they are safe—they have a natural ability to sense the good in humans."
Afghan Stray Animal League is a not-for-profit agency and contributions by Americans are tax deductible. Monetary donations are always appreciated, as are supplies.
To learn more about how to donate or help, email constablepam@hotmail.com.
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