We've had many ask about this joyful girl with the deformed paw, whom we call Lilly (pictured above). Lilly was born a street dog in the country of Afghanistan and was one of 7 dogs who came to Home for Life in the summer of 2021 from the Kabul Small Animal Rescue ( KSAR). Lilly looks like an English Setter/Sighthound mix although street dogs can be a mix of all kinds of "breeds".
Our beautiful girl Lilly was born with Ectrodactyly, a severe and rare genetic disorder causing splitting of the bones. She was rescued by American GIs at Camp Scorpion near Kabul, then brought by the soldiers to KSAR. She gets around, but likely will need more significant medical attention than the shelter could give her there in Afghanistan. As the Taliban advanced on Kabul in the summer of 2021, the shelter was facing the real possibility of having to close and let the rescued street dogs at the shelter back to the streets. They knew a dog like Lilly would never survive and very concerned for her welfare, asked Home for Life® to help her.
Thank you to Mutt Mutt Engine who moved mountains to get 48 dogs out of Afghanistan, including Lilly, to safety before this tragic fate came about for her and many other vulnerable dogs. See more photos of her from Mark Luinenburg's shoot at Home for Life® here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xToHdP5J1FBod3ho6.
Lilly was just about a year old when she came to Home for Life® and was spayed this fall. She is a high-energy girl, and though she had never been on grass - or snow - before, discovered that they make for great footing as she loves to run! Lilly's roommate is Curly who is a black Goldendoodle who came to Home for Life® as an older puppy, a juvenile diabetic.
Like all great couples, Curly and Lilly sometimes argue but mostly love to be together to run and play and wear each other out. It takes a patient, energetic dog to keep up with Lilly's intensity and Curly is up for the challenge. The two young dogs from different ends of the world have found friendship and a Home for Life® at our sanctuary.
Read more about Home for Life's® rescue of the Afghanistan dogs here: Home for Life Animal Sanctuary: Doing the Impossible: Afghanistan Dog Rescue.