As Ukrainians and their pets continue to be displaced while battling to survive Vladimir Putin’s invasion, some pet owners are finding their way back to their beloved furry friends.
A video of a wounded Ukrainian border guard reuniting with his pet dog is capturing the hearts of Internet users.
The video depicts the unmanned Mauripol guard using crutches to support his heavily bandaged foot to enter a kennel. Behind the steel cage, a black dog jumps in excitement upon seeing his owner again. RELATED: Missing Dog Survives Fires And Snowstorm To Be Reunited With His Owner After 4 Months When the guard unlocks the cage door and opens it, the dog sprints out and leaps into his outstretched arms. The guard kneels to allow the dog to lick his face. The dog runs through the grass joyously before returning to his owner, his tail wagging vigorously. Reddit users were moved by the video. “I think someone in the room is chopping onions… Really happy for both the owner and the good boy,” one user wrote. “I have many reasons to love and admire the Ukrainian people: courage, resilience, patriotism, and the love and care shown to their pets,” another user commented. The Southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol was seized by Russian soldiers days after the invasion of Ukraine began. Ukrainian soldiers put up a heroic fight before the city fell completely under Russian control on April 21. RELATED: My Two And A Half Weeks Of Life And Death In Mariupol, Ukraine Due to the Russian invasion, millions of Ukrainians were forced to evacuate their homes. Some, like the border guard in the video, had no choice but to leave their beloved pets behind. Some of the abandoned animals were taken into shelters or adopted by other families who could take care of them. “I’ve adopted one. A lady from Ukraine crossed the Polish border with 3 months old Amstaff/Pitbull,” a woman shared on Reddit in response to the video. “She decided to go West but lacked dog’s papers to take the puppy with her (Poles were accepting refugees and their dogs without papers). She left it with her friends, and soon after I took him :) He’s 7 months old now.” Although the dog in the video was thankfully able to be reunited with his owner, others are not as lucky. “Heartbreaking to think of all the children, dogs, spouses, parents who won’t have anyone coming home, thanks to Russia,” one Redditor commented. Despite the long separation, there is no denying that this dog never forgot his family, nor lost his love for them! Ukraine desperately needs our support in the face of this humanitarian crisis. If you want to help provide medical supplies and emergency care to the people of Ukraine, you can donate to the Ukrainian Red Cross here or to United Help Ukraine here. RELATED: Brave Couple Hikes Six Miles On Frozen Terrain To Save Lost Dog In ‘Miracle’ Mountain Rescue Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
