Hey my name is Shamsa and I am a 2 year old dog from Amman, Jordan. I am fostered in S. Bend, Indiana.
When I was only 6 weeks-old, I was found with three of my siblings in the streets of Bader which is a rural area near Amman. We were all frightened and terrified as we witnessed our mother being run over by a car in front of our eyes. Experiencing my mother’s death confirmed to me that I should find a safe environment for my siblings and I. The journey to find a safe area was challenging and difficult. Every time we were spotted in the streets by children, we were greeted with flying rocks and unfriendly faces. We were frightened, wet and hungry when fortunately, a kind human spotted us and rescued me and one of my siblings. I was lucky to be given a shelter and food in a foster home for a few months. Then I was taken to a boarding place to help me find a forever home. There I formed lots of good friendships with humans and other dogs. It was hard for me to leave, especially my best friend Shaggy (a handsome pit-bull) but I am eager to find a forever home.
I am well-behaved. I love humans and dogs. Although I don’t have an aggressive bone in my body I can behave skittish and be fearful of new experiences. I will need an adopter who is patient, loving and willing to work with me as I gain confidence. I have moderate energy and love open spaces. I also love my toys although my favorite thing is spreading them out to take inventory and I haven’t discovered the joy of playing with them yet. I am fully vaccinated, spayed and micro-chipped. I currently weigh about 35 pounds and am full grown. I am a smart dog and a fast learner. Despite my rocky start to life and my scary experiences with unfriendly people, I still love people and am trusting of them. My favorite thing is to hang out with my people and cuddle. I promise to do really well with obedience, training and more than anything I want to please my new family. I am very grateful for the journey that I have been through because it made me a wiser dog. I am ready to start a new chapter in my life, hopefully with a kind and loving family that I could make proud.
Jordan is the most welcoming country to refugees in the entire Middle East, but very inhospitable to its own dogs. Amman was a site of human settlement as far back as 7250 B.C., and dogs have likely lived here in uneasy co-existence for just as long. The great prophet Mohammad and founder of Islam was said to have advocated kindness towards all animals, but for centuries now, religion has been used to label dogs as unclean, as vermin instead of as a friend to man. Street dogs have never been safe here, and this past fall, the situation worsened dramatically after the death of a toddler from untreated rabies. In his radio broadcast response to the little girl’s death, Jordan’s highest religious authority, the Grand Mufti, stated that it is justified to kill an attacking dog. Misinterpretation of the Grand Mufti’s statement as a religious fatwa calling for the death of all dogs, no matter how friendly, led to a deluge of killings by snipers, mass poisonings, and bludgeoning of any and all dogs found on the street. Thousands of dogs have been slaughtered, and all dogs on the street suffer from violence and neglect, their lives at great risk.
Although some wealthy Arabs now buy expensive “purebred” dogs as status symbols and for protection, and more European and American expats keep dogs as pets (often to abandon them when they leave the country), far fewer people are willing to adopt puppies from the street. Mixed adult dogs like are seen as unworthy of any kindness, and Jordan’s volunteer animal advocates face an almost insurmountable battle in finding them homes. Partnering with ISDF will unite a lucky handful of dogs with American families while focusing light on the many threats Jordan’s dogs face.
If interested in adopting me please fill out an adoption application and call Dawn at 414-426-4148.