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It’s been a month since the war started. I am here in Ukraine, integrated with a Polish veterinary team from Ada Foundation — a clinic and animal hospital near the Ukrainian border in Poland. We travel in a convoy of two animal ambulance vans, loaded with much-needed food and medical supplies, on a mission to help animals displaced by war.
We pass a military checkpoint on our way to the small village of Mo´sciska, located on the outskirts of Lviv. There is a strange sense of foreboding as war rages on, only 350 miles away.
Overwhelmed Ukrainian shelters
“The shelters in Ukraine are overwhelmed with all the dogs coming from the east,” says trip coordinator Cezar Kotowicz, referring to dogs from war-torn regions. “These shelters do not have enough resources and need our help.
We arrive at Hope Ranch, a small refuge run by Anya Zhuk. Waggling tails and friendly barking greet us as we begin unloading 3 tons of kibble and other supplies. “We have 80 rescues here,” Anya said. “Three more arrived this morning.”
The team unpacks and assembles metal crates while seven dogs fight to be evacuated. “One has a broken leg,” Anya tells me. “Some have lost their owners and need affection. We can’t embrace them all.
One by one, each dog is carefully loaded into a van with a soft bed and blanket for the long journey to safety and a new life.
At the Asylum of Mercy shelter, we help Nataliya Kuznetsova, who owns nearly 300 dogs. “We need a lot of food to take care of all these dogs,” says Nataliya, who started her nonprofit in 2006. “Many of them were dropped off by owners who left to fight during the war,” she added. “It’s a difficult situation.”
Pets are innocent bystanders
The Ada Foundation is committed to helping these shelters and others for as long as needed. In order to bring rescued dogs back from Ukraine, Polish border control requires each dog to be microchipped and have all the required vaccination documents.
“We treated over 400 Ukrainian dogs,” says Radak Fedaczynski, veterinarian and co-owner of the Ada Foundation. He introduces me to Moon, a German Shepherd rescued from Ukraine. “She’s an older female dog,” he said.
Moon arrived at the center dehydrated and with a bad skin infection. Dr. Fedaczynski then points to a small mass under his abdomen. “She has a tumor that needs to be removed.”
In another room, there are other war stories. There I meet Hart, a rambunctious one-year-old black Husky mix with piercing blue eyes. He wears a cast on each of his front legs, which have been badly broken.
Then I meet Vira, a little dog recovering from a gunshot wound and spinal injury. “She was rescued from the war-torn Donbass region,” says Jakub Kotowicz, veterinarian at the Ada Foundation. With her hind legs suspended in a vertical harness, Vira receives aquatherapy. Dr. Kotowicz shows me his CT scan which reveals a small bullet lodged in the middle of his spine. “She may not be able to use her hind legs in the future, so we are preparing to build a wheelchair for her.”
Vira wags her tail as they encourage her to wiggle her hind legs in the warm water. “Rehabilitation is a long process,” says Dr. Kotowicz. “But at some point she will be available for adoption.”
Like children, these dogs are innocent bystanders in war. Non-combatants. But there is something remarkably different about this conflict when it comes to animals. Global media and social media coverage has brought Ukrainian pets to the fore day after day. And in doing so, their stories will not remain anonymous.
How you can help Ukraine’s pets
We here at dogster love animals, and we are heartbroken to see all the beloved pets who have been displaced or are struggling with their people in Ukraine as they try to flee to safety.
Many of the largest national and international animal organizations have stepped up to help animals in Ukraine. Here are a few :
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) donated $150,000 in emergency funds to international animal welfare efforts in response to the urgent needs of war-affected animals and pet owners.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) works with local partners to supply wildlife reserves and animal shelters in Ukraine.
cruelty free american authorized a $10,000 emergency grant to support IFAW’s efforts.
The charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) led a donation of $100,000 from Merck Animal Health to support veterinary and animal welfare groups in Ukraine and surrounding areas, then paired it with a $100,000 grant.
But it’s not just organizations. Many American vets have traveled to Ukraine to offer assistance. Here are the stories of three of them. You can follow their travels and find organizations they recommend supporting.
Dr. Marty Beckerfounder of Fear Free Pets, covered his own expenses and traveled to the Ukraine-Romania border, where he worked closely with Romanian rescue Sava’s refuge, and helped provide care for pets in a tent that housed veterinary services, using the fearless techniques he created. Learn more about drmartybecker.com.
Colorado-based veterinarian Dr. Jon Geller headed to a Romanian border crossing with Ukraine, where he was able to set up a government-approved veterinary clinic in a large tent provided at the border post, mainly caring for the refugees’ pets to allow them to continue traveling through Europe. Dr. Geller has added a Project Ukraine initiative to his existing nonprofit The Street Dog Coalition, which provides free veterinary services to the pets of homeless people. Learn more about thestreetdogcoalition.org.
Dr. Gary Weitzmanveterinarian and president of the San Diego Humane Society, gathered medical supplies and spent 10 days in a pop-up clinic on the Polish-Ukrainian border with the aim of caring for as many animals as possible during this time. Teaming up with a group of German volunteers, they provided food, supplies and first aid to the animals. Learn more about his journey by searching for “Ukraine” on sdhumane.org.
It is impossible to list all the people and organizations that help people and pets in Ukraine. We ask our readers to tell us about anything they come across, and we’ll add them to a list on dogster.com. Just write to us at dogstermag@belvoir.com.
Alan De Herrera is a travel photojournalist working nationally and internationally, specializing in humanitarian, animal and canine stories. He lives in Irvine, California with his Border Collie mix, Capitán. follow him on instagram @alandeherrera.ig.
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