TGIF! It has been a busy week, Boss keeping me on my toes as the weather has been fantastic so I cannot complain here. Boss was groomed last week, and she looks so cute, clean, and happy.
I have been following the Ukraine crisis online both on Twitter and Facebook and it is horrific what is going on there. It has brought back so many memories to my days in Israel when I lived through the 1973 Yom Kippur War as a teenager, running every night to the bomb shelter with out little rescued dog, Whiskey, up and down four flights of stairs each time, scary but having faith in the IDF I knew we were safe.
The second time during the Gulf War, when I had 3 cats and every night trying to catch them when a siren went off to get them into the sealed room, put my gas mask on and make sure we were all safe. There were no cell phones then or internet and it was frightening. I lived in Tel Aviv at the time which was hit the most by Scuds although TG there was never Chemical warfare although we had to stay in our sealed room till the okay signal came on and then we could leave.
So, watching the Ukraine Crisis, refugees running with their pets, children and whatever else they can carry breaks my heart as although I went through wars I never had to flee. That is where social media has become such an important tool for everyone.
The Facebook page that is set up to keep people posted as to what is happening with animal shelters there, what they need, the help that is needed, pets getting lost and landing in the streets and so much more.
Below is the link of the Facebook page I am following:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/317825230407855
In San Francisco there is a nonprofit called Transform a Street Dog, they rescue strays in Ukraine and bring them to the USA. Below is their link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TFASDog
How Europe has come together to help everyone just amazes me, countries opening their borders for the refugees, people offering their homes to families and pets, and the list can just go on. What also is so amazing is watching the people with cars or vans or trucks from all over Europe offering services, yesterday I saw how a bus tour company in Ireland has sent three busses to help, and the list can go on.
But in my eyes the true heroes are those that are staying in Ukraine to save the animals in shelters, those going into Ukraine risking their lives to get food to the shelters, to save the pets off the streets, to search for lost pets, these people all deserve medals. Unfortunately there have been some victims also, those wonderful angels who were delivering food to shelters and were killed, it just broke my heart to read their stories, or the man that refuses to leave his 100 plus dogs in a shelter, and the stories just go on and on.
So how can we help here in the USA. I have spoken to IFAW and they are only taking money donations as shipping is so expensive and slow that the pet product donations will not get there fast enough but they did mention that for every donation we make some of the pet companies are matching the donations. Every penny counts.
So please lets all step up, help where possible, the more we help the less worries for all those risking their lives.
Before I log off I want to point something out to everyone, this is a lesson for us as pets are family and should not be left behind, something that all shelters all over the world should have posters up saying so as this lesson is being taught to us now.
Please be safe, send prayers to Ukraine and all its civilians and animals,
Thanks for helping
With a woof and love from Layla