Letter to the Editor: Save a Gambr!

Dear Editor,

There are many things that come to mind when you think of Armenia, but the Gampr is probably not at the top of your list. The Gampr is a dog breed native to the Armenian highlands, with a history that is over 2,000 years old. They are a majestic, noble herding breed.

Sadly, my Gampr does not look like this. In these photos, you see a Gampr with a very painful condition most probably caused by Rickets because in the six short months that he has been alive, he has been a stray and starving to death. His name is Dikran.

I say “my Gampr” because I am having this dog brought from Armenia to Los Angeles so that an orthopedic surgeon in the states can perform the necessary surgery to help save him. If he stays in Armenia, he will have limited resources available for his care, and no orthopedic surgeon has the knowledge and experience to perform the surgery needed to correct this type of deformity. If he stays in Armenia, in all likelihood he will die.

You are probably asking yourself, Why put all this effort into saving a dog in Armenia when clearly there are thousands upon thousands of abandoned, sick, neglected, and abused dogs in America? My answer is simple: Somebody had to help this dog, and I quickly realized that that someone would have to be me. And then a village came together and there were a multitude of “someones” putting wheels in motion, chief among them the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue, a non-profit, charitable organization that saves thousands of stray, abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs from the shelters of southern California.

So it’s really quite simple. I need your help to defray the costs of bringing Dikran to Los Angeles and to help pay for the costly surgery to repair his legs. At the very least, all I’m asking for is that someone, or many “someones,” possibly give up their morning coffee to make a donation to the non-profit organization Coastal German Shepherd Rescue. Help bring Dikran to the U.S. and provide for all of his medical and housing needs. Once Dikran has recovered, he will be available for adoption. You can contact Coastal for applications by visiting www.coastalgsr.org.

This dog was saved from the streets by our brethren in Armenia. Now it’s up to the Diasporan Armenians and to animal lovers everywhere to give him the life he deserves here in America. You may not be the one who gets on a plane to Armenia to bring our Gampr to safety. You may not be the one who performs the life-saving surgery. But you can play a significant role in his journey towards a better life. Please consider donating to save this noble breed of Armenian descent. The paypal link is: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JNPEL3HV6W52G.

Laura Manukian
West Hollywood, Calif.