Raha, the most recognized animal at Home for Life®, passed away at the sanctuary about 10 days ago.
Above: Raha as he looked when first arriving at Home for Life®. He couldn't open his mouth more than a centimeter due to the scar tissue from the firecracker trauma and he was slowly starving to death
Raha was estimated to be 13 or 14 years old. He was suffering from severe arthritis and on the maximum amount of medication to treat the condition plus special food for arthritic dogs, had sessions of cold laser therapy each week and slept on his own orthopedic cushion. All these therapies, however, did not relieve his discomfort, and he seemed to be in alot of pain in the last 2-3 days of his life. In the end, Raha had stopped eating and was breathing very heavily, from the abdomen, yet bloodwork including a 4DX to check for tick borne illnesses, was normal. We had also had him reevaluated at the University of Minnesota Vet Hospital, to check for condtions like immune mediated arthritis.
Raha meets Dr Jane Goodall at our 2018 GalaThe recommendation was for Raha to lose some weight. For a dog who had suffered so much in his life, it was important to be sure he did not endure a painful end so we chose to let him pass peacefully with help to cross. Near the end he was very detached which was so unlike the Raha we knew. He was at the end of his life and ready to let go. At this point, further intervention would have been for us and not for him.
Above: Raha served as a therapy dog in our Peace Creatures programAlready older, probably over age 8 when he came to Home for Life in the summer of 2017, and already arthritic, Raha had lived the hard life of a street dog in Iran for many years. Someone had already cut his ears off. Older, slower moving and friendly towards people, he was vulnerable and became a victim of shocking cruelty that left him with terrible facial deformities. The firecrackers that had been tied in his mouth and then set off did not explode but caused extensive trauma including severe burning to the tissues. When he arrived at Home for Life®, we found that he was suffering from a terrible infection and couldn't open his mouth more than a centimeter. Vafa Animal Shelter, who had taken him in after he was injured, were feeding him with a syringe but Raha was a big dog and needed far more calories than could possibly be administered that way. He was slowly starving to death.
Above: Raha with his friend TuxIt took us months of intense rehabilitation and a complicated surgery but Home for Life® was able to save Raha's life with the help of many skilled veterinarians, and we also gave him a life. In spite of what had happened to him, Raha still loved people and served as one of our therapy dogs until he became too arthritic to ride in a car and move around comfortably at our outreach sites. He even had some brushes with fame, meeting actress Ashley Judd and Dr Jane Goodall at Home for Life's® galas. We could have never imagined the impact Raha would have on so many people when Vafa asked us to help him back in 2017.
Above: Raha rolls in the dandelions last year. We're sad that he will miss spring this year but where he is the flowers are brighter and the grass smells sweet.
Raha was so well known because of the evil he had survived which maimed him so horribly. But he wasn't a victim and I think that he overcame the injustice that he had suffered is what touched the hearts of anyone who met him. Thanks to the many people who were inspired by Raha and who loved him as we did Home for Life® was able to ensure that the brutality inflicted on him never defined him and was not the end of his story. Raha's beautiful smile and his soul will always live in the hearts of those who cared about him.
Above: Raha in the light. We will never forget you, Raha. Rest in peace.