Staying Warm this Winter
Since we started collaborating with the Dnipro Shelter we knew this winter would be particularly difficult. The war has had a huge impact on the stray dog population in Ukraine. Anna, who runs the Dnipro Shelter says, “There are puppies everywhere. We just can’t keep up.” In addition to the puppies their rescue hotline is constantly getting calls about dogs whose owners have moved away or passed; or community dogs that no longer have a community to care for them.
On a call this fall, Anna said, “We want to help everyone but we just don’t have a place for them. Some shelter dogs already do not have a designated warm place to sleep, how can we take in new dogs?” The situation was dire, January is the coldest month in Ukraine and time was ticking to give these dogs a warm place to go at night and protect them from the cold and snow.
We asked Anna what could be done. They had the space, just no shelters. Together we were able to find a small Ukrainian company that builds dog houses and Sochi Dogs placed an order. The shipment arrived a few weeks later just before the shelter was blanketed with snow and temperatures fell to 20/5 degrees F.
The Dnipro volunteers assembled the dog houses and filled them with hay. It’s hard to describe how excited all the dogs got, they said. Before when it got cold all the dogs would crowd into the infirmary or kitchen making it difficult to get any work done and at the end of the day they had to go outside but now everyone is content in their houses. Some like to snuggle together or move around while others have claimed their favorite house and don’t like to share!
In addition to the houses, Sochi Dogs was also able to purchase a small trailer that is currently being assembled to house some of the new residents.
“I’m so grateful,” Anna says, “we are all so grateful. The small expansion has helped us a lot, we can say yes to more dogs.” At Sochi Dogs we are grateful too, we’re grateful for our community that makes this kind of work possible.
