Iranian realtor arrested for selling apartment to a dog - report

A viral video showed a couple selling their apartment to a dog named Chester. Iranian authorities arrested the realtor and shut down his business for trying to normalize moral violations.

 A dog is seen sitting atop moving boxes in a newly purchased apartment (Illustrative). (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
A dog is seen sitting atop moving boxes in a newly purchased apartment (Illustrative).
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)

A real estate deal in Iran has been dogged by controversy after footage of a home being sold to a canine was shared online, Iranian media outlets reported Sunday.

The video showed an Iranian couple, who had no heirs, signing their apartment to a dog named Chester, who placed its paws on an ink pad to stamp on the contract, AFP reported.

Many of the details behind the real estate transaction are unclear, but apparently, the incident legitimately happened and Iranian authorities are taking action. 

This has led to the realtor who was involved in the transaction being arrested and his company shut down on Friday by court order, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

Canine crackdown: Iran's attempts to throw pet ownership in the metaphorical dog house

According to Iranian deputy prosecutor general Reza Tabar, as cited by the Iranian judiciary's website Mizan Online, the sale of an apartment to a dog is an act with no legal basis and attempts to "normalize the violation of society's moral values."

 Maryam Talaee, an animal lover, plays with her dog at home in Tehran, Iran December 20, 2019. (credit: NAZANIN TABATABAEE/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
Maryam Talaee, an animal lover, plays with her dog at home in Tehran, Iran December 20, 2019. (credit: NAZANIN TABATABAEE/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

This isn't the first time news has come out of Iran against dogs.

Traditionally, while dog ownership isn't illegal in Iran, it is highly frowned upon as Islam has traditionally held dogs to be unclean animals. In fact, other conservative Muslim countries have laws against dogs, such as Saudi Arabia, which only allows dogs into the country if they are considered hunting dogs, guard dogs, or seeing-eye dogs.

In Iran, dogs have been readily adopted in farms and rural areas, but have also surged in popularity in cities among younger Iranians, many of whom see it as a sign of affluence, according to as report by RadioFreeEurope.

Dogs have faced cruel fates in Iran in the past, with images that circulated on social media in recent years depicting stray dogs dying in agony or brutally beaten by the authorities, something that had actually sparked protests in 2019, according to RadioFreeEurope.


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Back in 2021, a law was proposed by Iranian legislators that sought to essentially ban pets, specifically banning "crocodiles, turtles, snakes, lizards, cats, mice, rabbits, dogs and other unclean animals as well as monkeys."

Aaron Reich contributed to this report.