We promise you this has a happy ending! Over the weekend, our Chief Vet Dr. Reshad received an emergency call – a member of the public had found a litter of tiny puppies on a back road trapped in a horrific pool of thick industrial tar.

By the time our team could get to them late afternoon, the situation was critical. The tar was acting like concrete around the puppies. It was impossible to free them safely on-site without causing further injury, so our team had to make the decision to transport the puppies to our Animal Hospital, still encased in the ever-hardening tar.

The team then spent the next gruelling 24 hours or so cleaning and chipping away at the tar, without injuring the tiny little furballs. We’re so relieved this morning to share that seven puppies are now fully free.

They're still sticky, but finally able to move, thank goodness. Of course, they’re also all incredibly weak and dehydrated, probably having been trapped for two or three days. Very sadly, one puppy had already succumbed to the elements before our team got there.

All of this really is a stark reminder of the harsh reality stray animals face every day in Kabul. It was only last week we wrote about the dogs saved from the awful floods across the city.

These 7 precious pups are now safe, receiving fluids and around-the-clock care. Their recovery will be slow, and their skin will likely need a lot of treatment to heal from the chemical burns of the tar.

But we’ll keep you updated on their progress. Mirwais, Abdul Haq, Matiullah, Subhan, and Dr. Reshad are our frontline heroes for the animals of Kabul this weekend. Their dedication at 1:00 a.m on Sunday morning is the reason these seven are alive today.

Thank you vet team and, as always, thank-you supporters – what a family!

For more information, please watch the video on our YouTube channel