Despite Ban, Dogs Strut On Streets Of Tehran

TEHR AN — Wherever Asal Bahrierad goes, her Shih Tzu, Teddy, follows. The 31-year- old Iranian even slept in her car with Teddy for three nights, she said, when visiting with her mother, who does not like dogs. Her mother finally relented and allowed her back in the house, with her beloved dog.

“Now both my mom and I can’t imagine living without Teddy,” Ms. Bahrierad said. “No one, not even the police, can take him away from me.”

That last statement is a matter of debate. In January, as part of Iran’s nearly 40-year battle against Western influences, Tehran’s police chief, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi, announced a ban on walking dogs in public. For good measure, the court also banned having dogs in cars.

In Islam, dogs are considered impure. Guard dogs are tolerated, but keeping them as pets is not. The problem is that many Iranians think otherwise. Dogs are everywhere in Tehran: German shepherds on leashes in alleyways; Siberian huskies frolicking in the winter snow; and Chihuahuas panting through open car windows.

The number of dogs — and cats, though they are more acceptable under Islam — is growing rapidly, if a recent explosion in pet clinics is any measure. Occasionally, Iranian officials take note of the rising popularity and call for measures to prevent Iranians from normalizing dogs as pets. Dogs “create fear and anxiety” in public, General Rahimi said to Iranian state television. “The police will take measures against the owners.” He did not say exactly what measures.

Hamidreza Taraghi, a hard- line politician, said in an interview, “Religiously speaking, wherever a dog sits or walks, we cannot pray.”

Mr. Taraghi said increasing numbers of people were complaining to the police about dogs. Furthermore, he added, dog ownership is adding fuel to the American sanction effort. “We are experiencing economic difficulties but the dog lovers are spending billions of dollars each year for dog food,” he said. “We need that money for more important things.”

Walking dogs in public is not the only activity off- limits to Iranians. They are prohibited, among other things, from dancing and drinking alcohol and, for women, appearing in public without the compulsory Islamic head scarf. In reality, however, the give and take between Iranians and their Islamic guardians is a constant work in progress. So there is dancing, some people drink and head scarves tend to fall off with surprising frequency.

Punishments can be harsh, and every so often perpetrators are fined, and at times even flogged. Nevertheless, flouting the official rules is so routine that few people consider it an act of rebellion.

Ms. Bahrierad said, “Teddy and I walk in a park in the Shahram neighborhood everyday, and the police are actually very friendly to us.”