Pretty much everything about the Nowzad "Conrad Lewis" animal clinic and shelter in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a miracle.

The mere existence of an animal shelter is a curiosity in Afghanistan, where animal welfare is often a low or nonexistent priority.

Funded entirely by contributions, the Nowzad clinic offers veterinary services and also takes in stray and injured dogs, cats, donkeys, and other animals.

But what may be the most unusual thing of all about the clinic is that it is run by three 20-something Afghan women, all trained veterinarians. Their ultimate goal, they say, is to change views in their country about both animal welfare and gender equality.

A special service the Nowzad clinic offers is to help foreign soldiers who have fallen in love with stray dogs and cats ship those animals home. According to the group’s website, it has assisted in the rescue of more than 900 animals from war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Kuwait, and Libya, and has successfully reunited them with soldiers in their homes in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.

But now they’ve moved on to a new project as well: turning street dogs rescued from war zones into service dogs to help vets with PTSD. The fact that the dogs, too, have endured conflict heightens the bond the soldiers feel with them, they say. Seven of their rescued service dogs are now at work in the US.

“We hope that this is only the beginning!” the group says on its website.

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