Hope
Hope is a very special girl indeed. She began her life as one of the camp dogs on a Marine base in Afghanistan where the Marines there soon came to know and love her. She was a happy dog who loved attention, and the Marines enjoyed feeding her and playing with her. As her Marine said, she often gave them comfort in times of need.
Soon she became pregnant and when her puppies were born she was a brilliant mom. Unfortunately when the pups were only about two weeks old, Hope became very sick. Her milk dried up and she started to slowly starve as she lost all interest in food.
After many nights of trying to bottle feed the puppies and trying to get Hope to eat, the Marines were reaching the point of desperation. They really did not think she would make it.
Then they found out about Nowzad Dogs.
In December 2010 they contacted Nowzad and asked for help. The rescue wasn’t an easy one. Hope and her puppies were in Southern Afghanistan in a difficult- to- reach location, and by the time Nowzad got the call Hope was so sick she would not have made the long journey to the Nowzad shelter. Nowzad quickly made plans for her to be taken to a nearby city where a friend of Nowzad, who also happened to be a medic, was able to put her on a drip.
After a few days of intensive care Nowzad arranged to have Hope taken to a local vet nearby where she and her puppies could be cared for until they were strong enough to come into the Nowzad shelter.
When she arrived at the clinic no one thought she would make it through the night but thanks to the dedication of the Afghan vet and Afghan staff at the clinic Hope did survive.
Day-by-day she became stronger. She started to produce milk and feed her puppies but sadly they contracted Parvo and did not make it. With the puppies gone, Hope was alone.
Hope was a fighter though, and after eight weeks of intensive care she finally reached a healthy weight, became playful again, and was able to be moved to the Nowzad Shelter.
There she waited while her Marine helped raise funds to send her to his home in the United States.
He and his wife hoped to offer Hope a loving home where she would never want for anything again.
In April 2011 Hope finally made that long trip to California and was reunited with her Marine. Much to her delight!
