Stray, homeless dogs are a common sight on the streets of Afghanistan.
The Huffington Post reports that while there are no official statistics, local animal shelters estimate the number of stray dogs in the area to be in the tens of thousands.
These poor dogs don’t have the easiest lives.
The Huffington Post describes the situation by saying, “The scrawny animals are often seen in packs outside embassy and guest house compounds, feeding on garbage. Some are raised for brutal dog fights. Many are abandoned. In Kabul, it’s not uncommon to see people— including children— swat and kick street dogs.”
While life on the streets is hard for all stray pups, for one dog, in particular, it was damn near horrific— meet Nesha.
Nesha (which means intoxication in Dari) entered the public eye after a video of her being force fed drugs was broadcast by an Afghani news station.
It turns out Nesha’s owner, a homeless drug addict living beneath a bridge, had often administered opioid drugs to the dog, resulting in Nesah becoming addicted.
When the drugs wore off and Nesha would begin to experience withdrawal, the poor dog had no idea what was happening to her body or why she felt so much pain and sickness. As a result, Nesha would often viciously rub her head against the cement walls of the bridge in discomfort.
When Nowzad, an Afghanistan animal shelter and charity, caught wind of Nesha’s situation, they immediately set out for the bridge to save the weak, opioid-addicted dog.
Mujtaba Rezaie, Nowzad’s resident veterinarian tells The Dodo, “The owner did not want to give us Nesha at first, claiming she would get sick if she didn’t get her three dose drugs each day.”
“The next day, we waited close by and watched for the owner to leave on his daily routine, and took Nesha when she wasn’t there.”
In addition to her addiction and withdrawal symptoms, Nesha was also suffering from infected wounds and muscle wastage so severe that she was unable to walk.
However, after months of practicing in a wheelchair, Nesha can finally move around on her own.
Rezaie tells The Dodo, “[Nesha walking] was something we thought might not be possible, and we were excited when it happened.”
Nesha still can’t walk normally, but the cofounder of Nowzad, Hannah Surowinski, assures us that Nesha manages to keep up with her fellow puppy friends juuuuust fine.
Nowzad is currently in the process of finding Nesha a forever family in either the United States or the United Kingdom.
Surowinski says Nowzad is looking for a place “where [Nesha’s] needs will be met and she will receive the love and attention she deserves.”
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