Iranian dog shelter rescues strays - in pictures

• 

• 

  More than 500 dogs find care and affection at the Vafa Animal Shelter, which was established through an endowment in 2004.

• 

  The shelter rescues stray dogs, who otherwise risk being shot and disposed of by municipal workers.

• 

  In Iran, dog-walking in public is banned, as is allowing dogs to stick their heads out of car windows.

• 

  Around 30 lawmakers have signed onto a draft bill to punish dog-walkers with up to Dh11,000 in fines and 74 lashes, although a similar previous attempt failed.

• 

  The dispute over dogs is part of a culture war in Iran that dates back to the revolution in 1979 that toppled the pro-Western shah.

• 

  Conservatives have sought to impose their version of Islam on society and rid it of Western influence. But their efforts have met with resistance, particularly from younger, more urban and more well-off Iranians.

Iran’s only licensed animal refuge, the Vafa Animal Shelter is home to more than 500 dogs in a country where conservative lawmakers have called for dog ownership to be banned or at least heavily restricted. All photos by Vahid Salemi / AP Photo