It is impossible to see the picture of people fleeing Ukraine looking for safer places and leaving their life behind without getting emotional, but this is even more when you see that most of Ukrainians leaving their country do so accompanied by their pets.
Cats, dogs, and even bunnies or lizards have been traveling with their owners. Some even have been in bomb shelters next to their families while they find a safer place and, of course, the pictures are just heartbreaking.
Recent reports have pointed out that countries like Poland, Romania, and Slovakia allow Ukrainians to bring their pets without veterinary paperwork, so they don’t stay behind.
However, there are some animals that due to their owners –mostly soldiers- have been left behind. In these cases, many shelters have opened their doors and accepted them.
If you want to help from the distance, the best you can do for these animals is to donate to their shelters. Most of them are receiving all kinds of pets and taking care of them in safe spaces in Ukraine despite the risk of a missile strike.
UAnimals
This organization is working on collecting donations to support animal shelters currently active in Ukraine. You can make a donation here.
Happy Paw
This nonprofit focuses on the promotion of humane treatment of stray animals and currently, they are collecting information about shelter situations. You can make a donation here.
Sirius
This organization has been caring for stray animals in Kyiv and is one of the largest animal shelters in Ukraine. Currently, they are taking care of pets and stray dogs in their shelter. If you want to help them do so, you can donate here.
