Reuniting adopted Afghan pets with soldiers and contractors after they leave

Star, a young puppy living in a hole in a wall, is now available for adoption at Nowzad in Kabul. Nowzad helps reunite Afghan pets with Western soldiers and contractors who can’t bear to leave them behind. All of the dogs adopted are strays, like Star.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Part of “The Magnificent Seven,” a group of Afghan dogs who are being adopted by American soldiers with the help of Louise Hastie and the organization Nowzad. It costs between $3,500 and $4,000 to rescue a dog.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Sweet Pea is a young cat who will soon be flying from Afghanistan to the United States, after adoption. Susan Chadima, a visiting veterinarian from Maine, right, volunteers at Nowzad, a charity that reunites Afghan pets with Western soldiers and contractors who can’t bear to leave them behind. A cat rescue costs about $2,500, which covers transport, medical, and boarding expenses.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Sweet Pea is worked on by visiting veterinarian Susan Chadima. With her are Drs. Abdul Hadi, left, and Zabi, both full-time veterinarians at Nowzad. Chadima, who has her own practice in Maine, volunteers at Nowzad several times a year. Chadima has a Nowzad dog -- Callie, a stray hit by a car in Kabul. Chadima sewed her back together; Callie is now in the care of Chadima’s husband in Maine.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Louise Hastie is often awakened by round-the-clock phone calls from soldiers wanting their pets rescued or delivered. “It’s a 24-hour-a-day job,” Hastie says.”I don’t do this for the money. I do it to make a difference, for the animals and for the people who care about them.”  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)