“Life with Nora has taught us so much... It has truly been a privilege to be on this journey with her – and we know there are many more adventures in our future. I have Nora to thank for inspiring me to get certified as a dog trainer – a job I absolutely love! ”
Nora was found bleeding by the side of the road in a small rural town in northern Iran. Her right front leg was severed right above the elbow, and she had lost a lot of blood. A good samaritan picked her up and brought her to a small veterinary clinic for help. Her leg appeared to have been cut clean off by a chainsaw. Cruelty to feral stray dogs is all too common in Iran since due to religion and tradition dogs are considered dirty. Keeping a dog as a household pet is illegal. People in Teheran and other big cities still do keep pet dogs, but they risk having their dog confiscated by the government at any time if they take them out for walks in public. Street dogs are routinely rounded up and killed by the government and mistreated and abused by people who don’t want them around.
Nora was kept at the clinic for weeks. When she was well enough to be discharged Nora’s rescuer reached out to one of the few animal sanctuaries in the city to get advice and help on what to do. They couldn’t keep Nora long term, so something had to be done. Adoption isn’t really an option in Iran, so they work with rescues in Europe and the United States. ARME/Beagle Freedom Project in the US saw Nora’s story on Facebook and agreed to take her on.
In June of 2015, Nora was put on a flight to Toronto, Canada. From there she was transported to New York where she was to undergo amputation surgery of what was left of her leg. A foster home had been found in New York, and everything seemed to go according to plan - until it didn’t. This is when we learned about Nora.
Nora’s foster home soon realized they were not equipped to care for a severely traumatized dog. We received a call from the founder of the rescue in charge of her asking if we knew of anyone willing to step in as an emergency foster. Since we had just moved into a big house we immediately offered to take Nora in and see her through her operation and recovery until a foster could be found. Needless to say, we fell head over heels in love with this incredibly brave dog. She was very scared but seemed to immediately trust my husband and me.
A few days later I brought her to AMC to be admitted for her amputation. The surgery went well and she stayed in the hospital for two days. We visited her daily. By the time she was released from the hospital we had already applied to adopt and signed the adoption papers.
Welcome home, Nora!
Nora has been part of our family for years. It has been challenging as we had to deal with many medical issues (phantom limb pain, intervertebral disc disease, ruptured disk in neck, nerve pain). She will have to be on the meds for nerve pain for the rest of her life, but she is doing well and living pain free so far. We purchased a doggie wheelchair but Nora was not a fan. She was still very mobile on three legs, and all the wheels did was slow her down. Being a ‘tripawd’ is in itself a high impact activity. We also had to deal with behavior issues (anxiety, fear, aggression and shyness) due to the trauma she had suffered. It took a year of intense training but Nora made it to the other side with flying colors!
Life with Nora has taught us so much mainly that there is nothing you cannot overcome when you have love and support in your life. It has truly been a privilege to be on this journey with her – and we know there are many more adventures in our future. I have Nora to thank for inspiring me to get certified as a dog trainer – a job I absolutely love!