With seven dogs and four cats in the back of her car, Tonia Trofimchuk fled from Kiev. A cry for help on Facebook was picked up in the Netherlands and that is how the animals ended up at Dierenzorg Zaanstreek after a grueling journey. Yesterday afternoon they were briefly reunited with their owner Tonia, who visited them in the shelter. “I’m so glad they’re okay and well taken care of,” Tonia says as she’s jumped from all sides by her over-excited dogs.
A few weeks ago, Tonia saw no other option but to flee her hometown of Kiev. She runs a small animal shelter in the capital of Ukraine. She couldn’t bring herself to leave her dogs and cats behind. Her husband had to stay, like all men he has to fight against Russia.
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Most dogs seem to have survived the war and the journey well. Only one shows deviant behavior and is startled by anything and everything. José Westhoff of Stichting Wereldhonden saw Tonia’s call for help and arranged for the animals to be picked up at the Polish border.
“With all that bombing, those dogs must have endured fears beyond description.” It is the first time that the World Dogs Foundation has dealt with dogs from a war zone. “Normally we care about stray dogs from different Eastern and Southern European countries,” says José.
Happy
Tonia thinks it is very special how dogs and cats are treated in the Netherlands. “They’re more like family members here,” she laughs, “and there are even dog parks.” She is very happy that her animals in the shelter are so well cared for and seem happy. “They have a happy future here.”
But she is having a hard time because her husband is still in Ukraine and the situation is getting worse by the day.