JUST A FEW months ago, Meena and her puppies were existing in a hole outside an American base in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was about to be sealed off for security reasons.
Today, the year-old Afghan Kuchi dog is living in the lap of luxury in a Greenwich Village townhouse.
"The dog would sneak out through a hole in the fence to scavenge for food for her and her three pups," wrote former British Marine Pen Farthing, in an email from Afghanistan.
"A Royal Marine mate of mine knew that Momma Dog [AKA MEENA\]would effectively be trapped and starve, and he called me asking if we could get her to the shelter," he added.
Farthing has been rescuing stray Afghan fighting dogs since 2007, when one wandered onto his base - and into his heart - in Nowzad, Afghanistan.
His busy Kabul shelter is where many stray dogs and cats land after being befriended by kind soldiers who are forbidden to keep them on their military bases.
The country's unwieldy stray population is largely a result of dog-fighting, a popular sport to which puppies often lose their ears and tails to stay competitive.
"These animals are also the victims of war," said Gianna Valerio, a social work student who adopted Meena after spotting her photo on the Soldiers' Animal Companions Fund website (www.sacfund.org).
The Seattle-based group, which helps raise tax-deductible funds for Nowzad Dogs, helped facilitate the adoption and arranged for Meena's transport to the U.S.
In mid-September, the lucky pup embarked on a flight on Emirates Airline to JFK, where she was greeted by her new family. Her pups were adopted by Afghan nationals in Kabul.
Today, Meena shares her spacious Christopher St. home with Valerio's husband, Charles, teenagers Alex, 15, and Zoe, 12, and their menagerie of animals. The graceful guard dog is cohabitating nicely with their 10-year-old long-haired chocolate dachshund, Xeno, and three rescued kitties, Spice, Jaguar and Mezzo.
When she's not romping at the Leroy St. dog run or honing obedience skills, the gentle golden long-haired beauty can be found guarding the front door. At night, she sleeps on a bed in Alex's room instead of her crate.
After all, the Afghan Kuchi is a guard and working dog that follows nomads, protecting flocks of sheep, goats and other livestock from predators and thieves.
Nowzad Dogs, Farthing's UK-based nonprofit organization, has saved nearly 250 dogs for soldiers who come from the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Holland, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Many are reunited with the soldiers once they finish their tour of duty.
In addition to sheltering the animals and finding them loving homes, Nowzad works to protect the local communities by vaccinating the dogs for rabies and parvo.
The all-volunteer group recently partnered with American Dog Rescue, a U.S.-based nonprofit led by philanthropist Arthur Benjamin, which also allows U.S. supporters to make a tax deductible donations to Nowzad. ADR is also helping to implement a humane trap-neuter-return program to reduce the stray dog population in Afghanistan.
Still, Farthing says running a charity can get rough. In an effort to help more dogs find homes in the U.S., he hopes to launch Nowzad USA.
His struggles to help these dogs are documented in his books, "One Dog at a Time" and "No Place Like Home."
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