Dogs of Ukraine

A fundraiser unlike any other. And in fact, I never planned it, but read this story.

I met Walery many, many years ago. He was with us for almost eight years. During that time, he was probably everything – he was a stableman, and the head of the center, he was a driver, he helped prepare horses for adoption, he mucked out, fed, went with us to fairs, and argued for the lives of animals. There, in Ukraine, he left his family – his wife and two sons. And sometimes, when I dropped into the stable and we chatted for a bit, he would tell me how much he missed them, but also that this work allowed them all to function. Somewhere, it was exotic to me, because I lived in times when not all parents had to separate for a family to survive. And at the same time, from that exoticism, it became closer and closer to me, because Walery talked a lot about Ukraine and his family. Then I met his wonderful wife when she came here, to Poland, for a few weeks. I remember photos of his younger son. The ten-year-old boy appeared in various photographs. Walery moved with us from center to center, he was probably everywhere. In the end, before he left, he managed several hundred hectares on the reserve. He was a man for all seasons. I say ‘was’ about him, although he still is. In fact, I spoke with him yesterday, and today I’m sending the last leaflets to print and wanted to tell you about him.

We connected briefly. Walery is in some village near the Russian border. Today it was very hot. Yesterday it was the same. He said he has water in jerrycans, and electricity comes from devices he showed me on camera. Densely dressed, but he didn’t complain about the heat. He said he basically sits and waits for orders, and only goes outside when it rains, because then drones don’t fly. Once every few months he gets some time off and then moves fifteen kilometers further, to another apartment. He practically doesn’t see his family. What struck me was that throughout the conversation he smiled very warmly and reminisced a lot. He also talked about the war itself and about himself, about how he finds himself in all of it, but the smile never left his face, as if he had come to terms with everything. While talking to him, I scrolled through old photos on my phone where he worked with animals for us, and in the meantime, he sent me his photos from there – from Ukraine, from this war that took him from us. And in this whole conversation, what struck me most was when he said he wanted to join the army himself. He wanted to, because he has two sons and thought that if people like him went voluntarily, they wouldn’t take the young ones so quickly. When I asked him at the end of the conversation what his plans were when the war ended, he said he had no plans. He said he has very high blood pressure and doesn’t know how much time he has left. But even as he said this, the smile never left his face. He seemed to be so happy to talk to the world with which he had so much in common. Despite the burden of what he is going through, not for a minute did he make me feel that it was all so difficult. Finally, he asked me to greet and hug everyone here, at the Foundation. You too.

As you know, we strongly support Ukraine and animals in Ukraine. We were doing this even before the war, because many people from Ukraine worked for us. We also did it very intensively when the whole world was involved in helping Ukraine. But now, though more quietly, we do it constantly. Not only do we bring dogs from there and send funds for treatment, but we also try to talk about the animals of Ukraine at a time when no one wants to talk about it anymore, because emotions have subsided and the world has moved on. I told you about Walery because I was extremely moved by this conversation, but also because it made me realize how much time has passed and how quickly time flies for all of us. When we go to Ukraine again, I would really like us to bring another stack of food and pay for treatment, spaying, and neutering. This fundraiser is precisely for that. If you can support our efforts, I will be extremely grateful. And if you can additionally send warm thoughts or a letter for Walery, which I will photograph and send to him, I think it will be priceless for him. If you wish, you can write a few words to him – by SMS, email, or a regular letter. I think it will be truly priceless for him.