Dog Maimed During Attack In Iran Rescued, Brought To San Diego

By Editor, Times of San Diego

March 30, 2023

An abused and orphaned puppy from Iran will undergo eyelid surgery Tuesday, the Helen Woodward Animal Center said.

After suffering from an attack with acid or hot liquids in Iran, the shepherd, Omid, was rescued and brought to the Rancho Sante Fe center earlier this month. A local veterinary eye specialist will replace her eyelid.

Omid, which means “hope” in Farsi, “has begun to receive well-wishes and inquiries on her availability for adoption,” according to a news release.

Last week, the center shared the story of the “special dog with a year-long story.” It took him, officials said, from “cruelty in the streets of Iran into brave hands of kindness and onto a plane that took her far across the world to a chance at true happiness.”

San Diego resident Moloud Rabieyousefi told the center about Omid, 14 month old. Rabieyousefi “spent months financially assisting a heroic Iranian woman who took in the severely injured puppy, abused by transients who had poured acid all over her face,” according to the center.

Omid has undergone months of medical treatments, but is still recovering from the trauma to her face and is unable to close her left eye, which causes discomfort and could lead to infection.

“We all knew that we would find Omid the perfect family but helping her get a new eyelid was beyond anything we had dreamed.”” said Kendall Schulz, the center’s adoption services director.

Officials said the complicated surgery will cost over $5,000 and that donations are being accepted.

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