It wasn’t that one moment where everyone would remember where they were and what they were doing. It was a creepy process, strategically done, step by step. And then we didn’t believe it. It must be fake news, we thought, there is no way in this time and age to choose war over negotiations. There is no way that people would fight for their lives literally on our borders. But it was the way. It happened. Russia attached Ukraine.

Hungary is on the opposite end of Ukraine than Russia and the war, so while it was feared for a while, the fights themselves never reached us. But their consequences did. Refugees crossing the border, with their lives ruined, families broken, terrified of what’s next, terrified for the future of their homeland. And people helped. We came together at the stations, at stadiums, translating, welcoming, donating time, money, carriers. Because so many of these people didn’t leave their pets behind. Dogs, cats, rabbits, even birds came with them. They also needed shelter, food, a little calmness in the chaos that they’d just gone through.

But many were not so lucky. It wasn’t always possible to bring pets – sometimes wasn’t possible to bring all their luggage. So they had to stay, without their family, without their ability to keep themselves alive. Modern dog is about as suited for living wild as their humans – hardly.

Left to their own device also brings another danger: overpopulation. Ukraine War Animals Relief Fund estimates that if nothing happens, in 5 years there will be hundreds of millions of new puppies and over two billion kittens.

With no owners to take care of them.

Action needs to be taken now, and here come the strong women, hearts filled with love and concern for these animals left to starve. True heroines for today’s International Women’s Day, who decided they would not let harm come to these pets as long as they’re there.

Yulia, Druzhkivka, Ukraine

Making sure that animals on the street have water and food, Yulia is among the few who walks in the city tirelessly, hugging any dog that needs, feeding all she can.

Svitlana, Druzhkivka, Ukraine

She takes care of the strays but also has 13 cats and 14 dogs at home.

Olena, Dnipro, Ukraine

She takes care of a shelter of 88 dogs, many puppies, keeping both their health and spirit in check.

Valentyna, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine

She works as a coordinator with local shelters and organises deliveries of food, houses and even transportation.

Inna, Irina and Oksana, Zaporozhye

All these women took in more animals than before, and still go out to take care of the strays.

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This is Day in the #100daysOfThoseDays. The series was started by Christine and Gloria and uses the “National/Global Something” of a particular day as the basis of the post. You can choose your own, and posting doesn’t have to consecutive.

“Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.”

Ronald Reagan

We are so connected today, it’s much harder not knowing where to look, and yet, here we are, living our days as if nothing was happening. People die in this war, not the politicians, not the decision-makers, but the innocent, the commanded. Yet, the biggest price is paid those who put all their trust, all their existence into our hands: the pets who don’t know what happened, they only know that they have no family any more, no comfort, and many days no food either.

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Today is International Women’s Day, Day 4 in the #100daysOfThoseDays. The series was started by Christine and Gloria and uses the “National/Global Something” of a particular day as the basis of the post. You can choose your own, and posting doesn’t have to consecutive.