How does your donation help?

We are very concerned about the war in Ukraine, and we feel that we cannot just sit back and watch the news.

We tried to get in touch with several animal shelters by phone, and although it turned out to be quite difficult, we finally managed to have a very emotional conversation with Tamara Tarnawska, Head of the SOS Animal Shelter Kyiv shelter near Kyiv. Tamara described the situation in Kyiv and other cities as hellish. Although some people take their pets with them when they leave, there are already many animals on the streets who used to have homes.

The worst part is that all prices have risen to insane levels. Unfortunately, animals are not a priority during wartime and organisations funded by donations are in terrible trouble since no-one is donating to animals anymore.  We have no money to pay for food, medicine or electricity! The water mains have been bombed, sometimes there is no electricity. We asked Tamara how we could help and she explained that there is not much else to do other than collect donations. Their shelter houses 1,000 dogs and 300 cats. And there will be many more brought in from the streets.

Fortunately, we have been assured that the shelter staff will not abandon the animals and will be ready to take care of them, even though the situation is dangerous. They have worked with animals for many years and love them a lot. The handlers spend the nights in the shelter with the etc. As it is not possible to get in or out of Kyiv at the moment, it is also not possible to evacuate any animals.

Bank services do not function either. It is also not possible to deliver any supplies to the shelter immediately. We were asked to collect donations to our own bank account as the shelter employees hope that the banking systems recover in a few weeks, and we will then be able to transfer the money to them. If it takes longer, we have to think of another way to actually deliver food, medicine and money to them. We are also in contact with other organisations supporting Ukraine, especially with regard to the transport of pet food and medicines to shelters.

We believe that it is vital to help the shelter as no-one should be left alone in times of war. Fighting for their lives is already a big burden, but the shelter workers are also fighting for the animals. For now, we can only hope for the best and wish them, as we did during the call, much love, courage and perseverance. Lend a helping hand!