“My husband and I evacuated together with a bunch of cats and dogs. It took us three hours to walk three kilometers. Nineteen dogs all pulled us in different directions. They walked in a pack. It was impossible! If it weren’t for the evacuation, I wouldn’t have acted this way. I am still regaining my senses. I am all bruised, I have a broken finger. I don’t want this to happen again,” said 20-year-old Anastasia Tykha from Irpin.
On March 9, Nastia and her husband left home in Irpin with 19 dogs and five cats. Some of the animals are their own, some of them were picked up, and half of the pets are living out (the owners give the animals away but pay for their accommodation). Almost half of the dogs are disabled and in wheelchairs. “However, there was no thought of leaving even one of them,” Nastia said. She does not understand how owners can leave a small dog or cat at home. With large and aggressive dogs it is harder.
Within the first three days of shelling in Irpin, the animals reacted sharply, shivered, and constantly looked up at the noise. Some of them wanted to be held in human arms. After a while, the animals calmed down and even walked in the yard during shelling. Nastia and her husband work remotely, so there was no need to leave the house except to go outside to the yard.
Nastia’s husband is a foreigner, and in the first days of the war he invited everyone to go to his parents’ place in the Czech Republic. But they made the decision to stay in Ukraine because the animals needed help here. During the war, the number of animals that were not taken out by their owners increased significantly, so the couple started to help bring dogs and cats to charitable foundations in Germany and Spain.
The family decided to leave the city only when a missile fell into the next yard and did not explode. By that time, Nastia’s house had no gas, electricity or running water. It was very cold in the house. The girl and her husband gathered all the animals and left the house on foot.
“When we went out, there was shelling and explosions. During our march, surprisingly, there was only one explosion somewhere far away. We got lucky, because in an hour they started firing at people on the bridge.”
The girl is very grateful to the Ukrainian Territorial Defense. Its fighters helped carry the animals across the bridge and put all pets in a car. During the evacuation, four dogs escaped and fled. However, Nastia came for them to Irpin in a week. Two dogs returned home, she picked up three more homeless ones on the way to Kyiv. Again, everything happened to the sounds of explosions and shelling. The house rented by the couple was not demolished, but the streets are empty: everyone has left.
When Nastia was returning for the dogs, she saw a pack of purebred animals on the streets of Irpin. And there are hundreds of homeless animals who have escaped or been released from shelters that were shelled. Volunteers are aware of this problem and are trying to take the animals they find to shelters abroad. There is also a problem with animal feed, especially for cats. It is almost impossible to buy it, and everyone lacks humanitarian aid.
Nastia and her husband, dogs and cats were placed in a house near Kyiv. There they are looking for families for animals found by volunteers. The couple treats the animals, takes care of them, feeds them, and gives them away when they find a new family. Volunteers foster some of the pets.
The family dreams of moving to their own house, which is still at the last stages of construction. The couple hopes that it will survive and there will be more room and opportunities to help animals.
Nastia appeals to cat and dog owners who cannot take their pets with them: “If you leave a dog, please do not lock it at home, in the apartment. It is better to release it, otherwise the animal will die a horrible death. If this is not possible, leave the animal enough water and food supplies. And I want to tell all the volunteers: hang in there and carry on, because there is plenty of work now.”
Translated by Yurii Vitiak
