Rescuing Fawn, the Wadi Dog
Donation protected
I am living in Muscat, Oman, and teaching at SQU. I love Muscat and Oman. The people are friendly, Oman is beautiful, and living here is an amazing experience. The one thing I don't love about Oman, and the Middle East in general, is the treatment of dogs. Oman, like other places in the Middle East, has an out of control population of stray, semi-feral dogs. They are called Wadi dogs, after the wadis (channels where water is collected during rain), or Desert dogs. Wikipedia would refer to the same dogs as primitave dogs- or village dogs.
Close to the original domestic dogs, these Wadi dogs have changed little over the past 20,000 years. They look much the same as they did years ago, unaffected by selective breeding. They also live as they have for thousands of years-- they are scavengers- living on the edges of desert civilizations-- depending on the garbage and cast-offs of villages and cities and beaches to live.
In the West, especially America and Europe, dogs have become treasured members of the family. Some animal abuse exists, but dogs and cats generally have it pretty good. This is not the case in the Middle East. While Islam commands that all God's creatures be treated with respect and kindness, it also specifically mentions dogs as being "unclean." Dogs are generally not welcome in homes. People sometimes keep dogs to guard, but generally that is all they are for. It is common here for dogs to be mistreated. Even small children throw rocks at them, and it is not unusual for dogs to be shot, beaten, poisoned, starved, drug behind cars, and run over for sport. When dogs become too visible, police are sent to shoot them under the guise of public safety. While there are some dog charities here that are beginning trap, neuter, and release programs, and who try to find homes for dogs and cats, their efforts are like putting a band-aide on a bullet hole. It isn't enough. As a dog lover, I wanted to do my part.
In February, I adopted Hayat, a dog that had seen her two puppies murdered, and had been beaten, poisoned, and shot down the throat. I made a committment to her. I plan on keeping her while I'm in Oman, and bringing her to live with me in the US when I leave for good. She has been a wonderful dog. She is smart, gentle, and funny--everything a dog should be. In the course of our walks, we met Fawn (Named Fawn because she looked like a like a small deer.) Fawnie, seen in the picture, is the reason I'm starting this go-fund-me site.
Fawnie was starving, but even though she needed food and medical care, what she really craved was love. She started following us on our walks--- slinking behind us, stopping when we turned--- so tentative that I thought she was injured. I started feeding her--- taking the food and fresh water to a place she seemed comfortable-- playing with her every day. She only accepted the food after she had played for awhile. She was more interested in beting petted than being fed. After a short time, she started following me home and slinking about outside my apartment... She had lost her fear of me, and wasn't hiding anymore. This was a dangerous change. I was worried that she would be killed if she was too visible, so I brought her in. I took her to a vet, had her spayed and vaccinated, and then found her a foster home in Seattle, Washington.
I would love to keep her, I can't keep more than one dog. Hayat is difficult enough in my yardless Omani apartment. Fawnie has greatly complicated my life. She is a very good girl, but she was semi-feral for almost a year, and she is scared of so many things. In the two months I've worked with her, I've seen her blossom. She still has a long way to go, but she is becoming such a good girl. She is sweet, gentle, and a good friend to Hayat. I love this dog. It breaks my heart that I can't keep her, but I'm determined to keep her safe.
Anyway- to make a long story short, I've spent a lot of time and money on this dog--- more than I can afford actually, as I have my own mounting medical bills (recurrant thyroid cancer). I've paid out over 3000 dollars in vet bills since moving here-- and more than half of that has been for Fawnie. Her vet care, surgery export fees, and airfare to the states has cost almost 2000 so far, and once she gets to the states, I'll be paying more, as I need to drive 28 hours to pick her up and bring her home. I will also be spending two weeks of intense training time with her before leaving her with her foster family. I will continue to freely give my time, and of course, I gladly pay all the expenses for Hayat, but I would love so much to have help with these bills for Fawn. Any help will be appreciated, and if I'm able to get this help now, I may be able to continue doing rescue work for the remainder of my stay in Oman.
Thank you for your consideration! Thank you for helping me save Fawnie!
Close to the original domestic dogs, these Wadi dogs have changed little over the past 20,000 years. They look much the same as they did years ago, unaffected by selective breeding. They also live as they have for thousands of years-- they are scavengers- living on the edges of desert civilizations-- depending on the garbage and cast-offs of villages and cities and beaches to live.
In the West, especially America and Europe, dogs have become treasured members of the family. Some animal abuse exists, but dogs and cats generally have it pretty good. This is not the case in the Middle East. While Islam commands that all God's creatures be treated with respect and kindness, it also specifically mentions dogs as being "unclean." Dogs are generally not welcome in homes. People sometimes keep dogs to guard, but generally that is all they are for. It is common here for dogs to be mistreated. Even small children throw rocks at them, and it is not unusual for dogs to be shot, beaten, poisoned, starved, drug behind cars, and run over for sport. When dogs become too visible, police are sent to shoot them under the guise of public safety. While there are some dog charities here that are beginning trap, neuter, and release programs, and who try to find homes for dogs and cats, their efforts are like putting a band-aide on a bullet hole. It isn't enough. As a dog lover, I wanted to do my part.
In February, I adopted Hayat, a dog that had seen her two puppies murdered, and had been beaten, poisoned, and shot down the throat. I made a committment to her. I plan on keeping her while I'm in Oman, and bringing her to live with me in the US when I leave for good. She has been a wonderful dog. She is smart, gentle, and funny--everything a dog should be. In the course of our walks, we met Fawn (Named Fawn because she looked like a like a small deer.) Fawnie, seen in the picture, is the reason I'm starting this go-fund-me site.
Fawnie was starving, but even though she needed food and medical care, what she really craved was love. She started following us on our walks--- slinking behind us, stopping when we turned--- so tentative that I thought she was injured. I started feeding her--- taking the food and fresh water to a place she seemed comfortable-- playing with her every day. She only accepted the food after she had played for awhile. She was more interested in beting petted than being fed. After a short time, she started following me home and slinking about outside my apartment... She had lost her fear of me, and wasn't hiding anymore. This was a dangerous change. I was worried that she would be killed if she was too visible, so I brought her in. I took her to a vet, had her spayed and vaccinated, and then found her a foster home in Seattle, Washington.
I would love to keep her, I can't keep more than one dog. Hayat is difficult enough in my yardless Omani apartment. Fawnie has greatly complicated my life. She is a very good girl, but she was semi-feral for almost a year, and she is scared of so many things. In the two months I've worked with her, I've seen her blossom. She still has a long way to go, but she is becoming such a good girl. She is sweet, gentle, and a good friend to Hayat. I love this dog. It breaks my heart that I can't keep her, but I'm determined to keep her safe.
Anyway- to make a long story short, I've spent a lot of time and money on this dog--- more than I can afford actually, as I have my own mounting medical bills (recurrant thyroid cancer). I've paid out over 3000 dollars in vet bills since moving here-- and more than half of that has been for Fawnie. Her vet care, surgery export fees, and airfare to the states has cost almost 2000 so far, and once she gets to the states, I'll be paying more, as I need to drive 28 hours to pick her up and bring her home. I will also be spending two weeks of intense training time with her before leaving her with her foster family. I will continue to freely give my time, and of course, I gladly pay all the expenses for Hayat, but I would love so much to have help with these bills for Fawn. Any help will be appreciated, and if I'm able to get this help now, I may be able to continue doing rescue work for the remainder of my stay in Oman.
Thank you for your consideration! Thank you for helping me save Fawnie!
Organizer
Leslie Nettleton
Organizer
Pullman, WA