Puppies rescued by the Ray of Hope shelter in Dnipro, Ukraine
– local and international adoptions picking up despite the challenges
– shelters preparing for the winter and taking on long overdue repairs
– delivering pet food all over Ukraine and fostering new partnerships
… and so much more!
A Letter from Dr. Marina Bayeva:
On August 24th, it will be six months (!) since Russia invaded Ukraine. Six months with no end in sight! I cannot put into words all the pain and devastation that the war has brought to my home country. Yet, people of Ukraine persevere, coming together to help one another in acts of everyday heroism. And your continued support of shelters in Dnipro is literally allowing 1000+ animals to get another chance at life. Thanks to the new and returning donors, this month we raised $3,315 and, with what was left from last month, a total of $3,500 was distributed to the shelters.
Thank you to all the new and returning donors for your generous support this month! With the war now in its sixth month, animal shelters need help more than ever. If you are able to, please donate again, and continue spreading the word about this initiative. Perhaps you know a corporate sponsor interested in giving a designated gift, or a journalist eager to feature the story. I will greatly appreciate any kind of help!
The influx of animals, often with serious injuries and chronic infections, continues full steam and shelters are responding by stretching their limits to help as many animals as possible. This means securing extra food and supplies, paying soaring veterinary bills, and getting creative to avoid overcrowding. Luckily, adoptions are also picking up. Remember all those newborn kittens and puppies who over the last two months kept shelter workers on the brink of despair? These babies are growing up and finding new families (see here and here). And so are the animals rescued from occupied territories. In parallel, shelters are preparing for the winter – fixing enclosures, attending to those long-overdue structural repairs, and making sure heating systems are working properly.
Finally, new partnerships are sprouting, thanks to tips and introductions from some of you! This month, I helped Ms. Olena Anisimova to connect with the Society for the Care of Animals in Poland which will donate ~2 tons of animal food for distribution all over Ukraine. Another partnership between Ms. Anisimova and the animal welfare branch of Nova Ukraine, a large non-profit dedicated to supporting Ukrainians during the war and beyond, is also in the works. And I am beyond grateful to the Little Justice Leaders for featuring our fundraiser as a part of their Animal Protection Advocacy Box for July.
Thank you again for everything you’ve done to help animals survive the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the need for your support is ongoing, so please donate again if you are able to, or help in any other way you can – by encouraging others to contribute, publicizing the fundraiser (you can copy and paste this link), recruiting corporate sponsors, or connecting me with animal welfare activists, advocacy groups, journalists, etc. Please, help me help the animals of Dnipro to survive this war!
With gratitude,
Marina Bayeva & all the tails
About the Author
Marina Bayeva, MD, PhD was born and raised in Dnipro, Ukraine and is a Fellow in Hospital-Based Psychotherapy at The Austen Riggs Center in Massachusetts. Dr. Bayeva’s devotion to animal welfare causes began in childhood. She collected lunch scraps from the cafeteria for street cats while she convinced her parents to let her have a cat of her own, adding to their menagerie of guinea pigs, hamsters and birds. Dr. Bayeva’s parents still live in Dnipro, where her aid efforts to local shelters and rescue organizations have been focused. She currently shares her home with two rescued cats Herman and Tyson and her rescued dog, Henry, who loves to steal Impossible burgers from the freezer.
Listen to an inspiring BARKS podcast featuring Dr. Bayeva:
