Sultan's* relationship had been a secret for 16 years.

If anyone had found out the Saudi government media employee was gay, he would have been in immediate and grave danger.

In late 2019, Sultan and his partner Nassar* were exposed and Nassar's family threatened to have Sultan arrested or killed.

The pair packed their most precious things overnight and prepared to flee.

But there was one thing they couldn't bring — their beloved white German shepherd, Icy.

Icy the white German Shepherd as a puppy. ( Supplied: "Sultan" )

For a persecuted refugee leaving the country in an emergency, the priority was to get to safety. But Sultan couldn't bring himself to simply leave Icy behind — he had to find her somewhere safe, too.

So the couple took their dog to a facility they'd used and trusted to take good care of her.

The plan was to get Icy to safety with them once they'd found asylum.

Sultan's story

Sultan had been a journalist and fixer for international news outlets for 16 years. More recently, he was an official with the government's ministry of media, looking after overseas media.

He said he aimed to ensure "fair and accurate" reporting of the kingdom because people had "many misconceptions and misunderstandings about Saudi Arabia".

However, working with foreign media meant he was constantly under surveillance.

He came to the attention of the Presidency of State Security — a security arm of the government created in 2017 that combined counterterrorism and domestic intelligence.

"The country changed," he says. "Journalists, bloggers, anybody who had a voice and who could speak out was getting arrested."

He was asked to stop his work with the foreign media, so he cut back, but didn't stop completely.

"I did have to have an income, and this is what I'd been doing for 16 years," he says.

Not long after, he was outed to his partner's family by state security.

'The three of us are one'

Icy's joy and intelligence are a profound comfort to Sultan and Nassar, who are now living free from persecution in Australia.

"If something happens to her, I'd probably cry about her like a relative's died," Sultan says.

"I don't want to sound like Sleepless in Seattle, but [having her] helps complete the relationship. I mean, the three of us are one."

This was the first time this man ever touched a dog. ( Supplied: Sultan )

The couple has owned Icy for a decade and, as a rare sight in Saudi Arabia, she attracts her fair share of attention. Her influence on strangers sometimes breaks down barriers, as she did with a road worker before Sultan fled Saudi Arabia.

The man was intrigued but hesitant to approach Icy because it was his first experience interacting with a dog.

Sultan showed him how to pat Icy.

"I let it happen and encouraged it, then I stepped back. It was a beautiful moment for him," he says.

Not an isolated case

"You can see the heartbreak on people's faces when they talk about a pet they'd left behind," says Dina Petrakis, head of the Ignite program at Settlement Services International.

Ms Petrakis supports refugee entrepreneurship programs for 300 people in Sydney.

While the UN has recognised the power of pets in providing comfort to refugees, Australia's distance from most refugee populations in the Middle East and Africa complicates things.

Ms Petrakis estimates that about half of her clients left companion animals in the care of family when they fled their home country.

"They speak about them with such love and affection. They have pictures, their voice changes, the tone changes," she says.

"[The animals are] very much a part of the family they've left behind."

Bringing Icy home

Sultan and Nassar thought bringing Icy to Australia would be a straightforward matter of arranging her journey, veterinary checks, and leaving her in quarantine "for a little while".

And although they had done some research, they hadn't counted on the complexity of Australia's biosecurity laws.

Australia doesn't accept animals from Saudi Arabia.

Icy is Sultan's beloved white German shepherd, pictured here in Saudi Arabia. ( Supplied: Sultan )

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment said it was because the country has not yet been assessed for its "control systems and dog and cat health status".

But there is an alternative, although a costly and time consuming one — for Icy to go to an approved country first, then come to Australia.

They have consulted with a private international pet transport company to move Icy to Singapore, to a facility that boards dogs.

That plan would take many months and thousands of dollars, but Sultan and Nassar are committed to reuniting with their pet.

For now, the boarding facility in Saudi Arabia sends Sultan monthly updates and videos.

There's a vet on site and the facility has been in touch recently about treatment for her joints which has enabled her to run again.

"I can get a German shepherd tomorrow," said Sultan, "but … it'd feel like I'm abandoning her. I'd be putting money before the dog's love for me and my love for her."

*Names have been changed.