Iranian police arrested a real estate agent last week who posted a video showing the "sale" of a residential apartment to a dog. In the video, which was circulated and went viral on social media, an Iranian couple is seen signing a contract in which they transfer ownership of their home to their furry, white, small-breed dog, Chester.
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The couple has no children, and in the video, they explained that they had no "heirs and that they wanted to sell the apartment to the dog." in Tehran. The couple allowed the dog to "sign" the ownership transfer contract by imprinting its pawprint using an ink pad.
On Sunday, the Iranian news agency ISNA reported that "police launched an investigation," following the video, and the real estate agent who "mediated" between the parties has been arrested.
"The police arrested the head of the real estate agency and shuttered the firm on Saturday," the Iranian judiciary's Mizan website read. Iran’s Deputy Attorney General Reza Tabar said that the attempted sale sought to "normalize the violation of the society's moral values", and has "no legal basis".
Iran, like other Muslim countries, considers dogs to be impure animals, and religious conservatives in the Islamic Republic advise against keeping dogs as pets. However, in recent years, many Iranians, mainly those from wealthy or middle-class backgrounds, have adopted dogs and cats as pets.