Dogs are not always man's best friend.

In Iran, having dogs as pets is seen as an undesirable reflection of Western influence. City workers are asked to shoot stray dogs and animal shelters are very rare.

However, in the countryside west of Tehran, several kindhearted locals have taken it upon themselves to save and care for unwanted dogs at the Vafa Animal Shelter. The shelter was established through an endowment in 2004 and is the country’s only licensed animal refuge, currently home to more than 500 dogs.

Because pet dogs are so uncommon, the shelter has a hard time finding permanent homes for the animals - only six dogs are adopted on average each month. But the workers at Vafa devote a lot of time to make the shelter a good home for the animals and finding people to adopt and love them.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press