Syd and Ron B landed safely in Pakistan on Thursday, 28 June. It's their last stop, they should be leaving for New York within the week!

All out! (But some still in transit)

Lucy and Jack arrived at JFK airport last Saturday (23 June) and were picked up by their new family; Ron B and Syd are leaving Kabul for the last leg of their trip to America.


With any luck, all four will be around to celebrate the 4th of July in the US!



I've gotten some questions about whether we are still accepting donations; although we did get enough for airfare, any additional money would be welcome and will go toward the dogs' health care and food expenses.


Hopefully we'll get some photos soon of them in their new homes!

We did it!!!

We raised enough money to get all four dogs to the States!


Jack and Lucy have left Kabul and are en route to the land of the free ... Syd and Ron B should follow shortly.


Thank you to everyone who contributed -- check back for updates on Syd and Ron B, and pictures of all four in their new homes!

So close you can almost taste it...

We only have $430 to go!

Please - put out the word & mention this to your friends; anyone who seems to like animals; strange men in bars (donations AND potential for free drinks); or your eccentric but generous maiden Aunt.

We're so close, and both Syd and Ron B already are on their way to the capital. But one of them is going to be stuck there unless we pull together the remaining $430.

Syd and Ron B begin their adventure

Our girl Syd seems a bit sad to be leaving her mountain. Or sad because she just said goodbye to Chuck (Chaos). Or she's looking at a bug and is 2 seconds away from trying to eat it.









Meanwhile, Ron B seems thrilled by this adventure.

A long layover

Jack and Lucy arrived safely in Kabul and have been hanging out waiting for their flight to the States. Ron B and Syd aren't far behind.

We're On The Move!

Early on Tuesday, 12 June Local -- Lucy and Jack will start their journey to America, with a long layover in Kabul first. Word has it they're nervous but excited.


Between generous sponsors and donors, we've already bought the plane tickets for three of the four dogs -- and are quickly on our way to completely funding all their travel! Let's keep up the momentum from the weekend, please spread the word!


Check out the spacious homemade travel crates. I guess there are uses for wood other than throwing it in the firepit. Who knew?

All Four Dogs Have Homes!

All four dogs now have new families who have committed to taking care of them for good -- all that's left is to get them to the US!

SITREP

As of 1314 EST on Friday, 8 June, the dog situation was as follows:

- Lucy, Syd, and Jack all have homes!

- We have pledges to cover the transportation costs for two dogs

- Another benefactor is covering the initial travel costs to the capital, reducing the airfare to $3,500 per dog.

Total raised/pledged: $8,600 


What we still need:  

- Transatlantic airfare for two dogs: $7,000  [the total in the paypal ticker reflects part of Lucy's ticket, so we need to raise $7,500 to cover the airfare for two more dogs]
This is SO doable, we're already MORE THAN HALFWAY THERE!!! 

- A home for Ron B




*Again, if you prefer old-school, snail mail options: contact me at letssavesyd@gmail.com for an address to send your checks; gold bullion; or used, unmarked, non-sequential hundred dollar bills to.

Lucky Lucy!

She’s won the lottery TWICE … an awesome, generous soul has agreed to adopt her and bought her plane ticket.

Lucy
Lucy was born in Early Spring of 2011.  Each day driving around, I would pass by her and her brothers and sisters and mamma everyday - the litter was just along the fence.  The puppies were all so cute and as they began to grow I decided that Sid needed a friend, and that I would adopt one from the litter, so after they were about 7 weeks old I went down to the liter to take a puppy.  Originally I had my sights on a cute brown male puppy, but when a friend and myself got out of the car to see the litter, they were all going crazy trying to get attention, but Lucy just kind of stood back and watched us - then i saw her cute face and red coloring and I knew she was the one.  In retrospect we should have called her Lotto - because we always joked she won the lottery of life in Afghanistan, but due to her cute red hair she was named "Lucy".... She was a strong and healthy dog from the beginning.  We had people carry shots and deworming meds out for her.  We built her a dog house - which she quickly outgrew.  Sid took Lucy under her wing and Lucy followed Sid everywhere - learning the ropes of being a good dog.  Often on cold or rainy nights Lucy would sleep on the floor in someone's room.  Lucy loves to follow people around, be petted, eat treats and sleep - she is a very laid back dog.

~ Happy Hour

She's from the same litter as Jack. They are somewhere around a year old. They were being taken care of by some guards but then we kind of took them over. Lucy was Happy Hours favorite so last time I saw her she was spoiled rotten. She's super submissive though so doubt she would be very stubborn. She played fine with the other dogs for the most part, but she def fights dirty.

~ Danger Bob

 

Ron Burgundy

Ron is about 6-8 months older than Jack and Lucy, which I think puts him around a year and half or so. Though he was the biggest, he was by far the dopiest dog. He got sick at one point with some virus that almost killed him and Lucy. He disappeared for 2 days and then Doc Frank and I found him laying in a ditch in some water where I think he went to die. We carried him out and pumped him with IVs for 2 days until he finally started eating and coming around. After that he was fine, but seemed even more brain-cells short. He's dumb as a brick but probably the most chill of all the dogs. He just likes to lay around and wait for people to scratch his belly. Like Jack and Lucy and even Syd eventually, we managed to teach all of them to Sit, Speak, Shake, Lie down.

~ Danger Bob

Ron is an awesome goofy dog - probably about 2 years old or close to it now.... he almost died once over in Afghanistan, but an awesome medic and lots of TLC and IV's brought him back.  he is super mature, cool dog and would be good with people and other dogs.  He loves to have attention and belly rubs!  Of all the dogs he is probably the easiest and most easy going - he was house trained the first and the fastest - so he is smart too :)

He was named after Ron Burgundy character and has had much love in his life and deserves a second chance in America... please donate to help pay for a plane ticket back for this very sweet and loving pup!

~ Happy Hour

Jack

Last time I saw him (September). He was huge and still growing. He's super muscular, struts around like a lion and has enormous paws. He's much more social than Lucy and Ron, and definitely more well behaved than Lucy. He loves to play, and is pretty happy to just be around people. He definitely was the most curious one and we would find debris from whatever he was able to steal the previous night strewn all across the yard in the mornings. He would get frequent walks, and did really well on the leash when I would take him.

~ Danger Bob

Syd aka Sid

- About 5-6 years old, Syd is presumed to be the love-child of a visiting K9 and a local dog because of her German Shepherd-esque features; however, her origins as well as the true spelling and significance of her name remain shrouded in mystery.

- Fiercely loyal, she will always sleep with her head facing the door. Even if that means the office door hits her on the head each. and. every. single. time. it's. opened. (Loyal, not brilliant).

- First up the mountain! And again!

- She flips out at kites and will practically somersault trying to chase them back and forth. Watching her confusion change into a victory dance when one happened to fall out of the air was priceless. Yeah, that's right Syd. You slew the wicked kite beast.

- Syd can hop around trying to eat toads next to one of the most powerful men in the world while he tries to give a speech. The only thing the audience and the speaker will remember is Syd.

~ Nicole (aka Stone)

Why donate?

... they are friendlier than most other locals, such as the attack porcupines

... they are more entertaining than MTV Africa, the fashion channel, and AFN commercials combined.

... let's be honest, that's the only tail most of us got while we were there.

The Mission

Bad luck: you're a dog born in a country that does not appreciate the glory of the canine form.

Good luck: you end up somewhere with Americans who adopt you, take care of you, hike with you, and watch you grow.

Bad luck: your sheltered existence is coming to a brutal end.

Good luck: your friends step in to save the day ... ? 


Syd, Jack, Ron Burgundy, and Lucy, are facing eviction with extreme prejudice.

We're lining up homes for them Stateside and a few potential adoptive parents have stepped forward, but first we have to get them here. There is an animal rescue organization that has agreed to fly them to Washington, DC, for a mere $3,900 per dog.

For that price let us hope they will be flying first class, dining on the succulent overcooked steaks they have been accustomed to since their puppy days, being petted continuously by beautiful virgins, and reclining on sleep-number doggie beds. But, even if they're in the cargo hold, don't you think life and freedom are worth it?