Rescued dog brought from Iran to Rancho Santa Fe center will undergo eyelid surgery

An abused and orphaned puppy that arrived from Iran to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe earlier this month will undergo eyelid surgery on April 4, center authorities said Thursday.

After reportedly being injured in an acid attack in Iran, Omid the dog was rescued and brought to the center, Woodward Center officials said. A local specialty eye veterinarian will replace the eyelid the dog lost.

Omid, which means “hope” in Farsi, “has begun to receive well-wishes and inquiries on her availability for adoption,” the center said in a news release.

Last week, Helen Woodward Animal Center went public with the story of Omid, “a special dog with a year-long story that wound through cruelty in the streets of Iran, into brave hands of kindness, and onto a plane that took her far across the world to a chance at true happiness.”

San Diego resident Moloud Rabieyousefi told the center about the 14-month-old female shepherd. Rabieyousefi “spent months financially assisting a heroic Iranian woman who took in the severely injured puppy, abused by transients who had poured acid all over her face,” according to Helen Woodward officials.

Because Iran has no laws to protect animals from acts of cruelty “the Iranian woman was desperate to get the dog to the United States and Rabieyousefi spent approximately eight months working with the CDC to do just that,” according to Helen Woodward officials.

Omid has undergone months of medical treatments, but is still recovering from the trauma caused to her face and is unable to close her left eye, which causes discomfort and possible infection.

“We’re incredibly excited for Omid,” said Kendall Schulz, adoption services director at the Helen Woodward center. “Every time an orphan animal comes through our doors, they become our family. When one of them has been through something this traumatic, we really do all rally around them to help get them that perfect happy ending.

“We all knew that we would find Omid the perfect family but helping her get a new eyelid was beyond anything we had dreamed,” Schulz said

According to Helen Woodward officials, the surgery will be complicated and will cost more than $5,000.

People who want to help with the costs of Omid’s surgery and her recovery care may go to animalcenter.org/hopeforomid.