Author: SPCAI Staff

By Lori Kalef, Program Manager

Thanks to many generous sponsors, approximately 500 dogs of Chernobyl received critical medical treatment this month. Along with our partner organization, Clean Futures Fund, and many dedicated Ukrainian nationals we held a successful three-week event focused on increasing the health and well-being of the dogs of Chernobyl.

I continue to be grateful to everyone involved in making this work possible. From North American donors and volunteers, to local veterinarians and power plant workers, the humanity of this operation is evident.

Since everyone can’t make it to Chernobyl, I would like to share some of my impressions from this latest trip. I could go on for pages, but a few things stuck out that warmed my heart.

First, I saw Symona, one of the dogs featured recently for sponsorship. Though she was spayed last year, this year she received updated vaccines, antiparasitic medication, and we tested her radiation levels to make sure she was safe.

We’ll continue caring for Symona to ensure she remains healthy. She lives near the cooling tower, where two friendly guards make sure she gets something to eat most days. 

Second, our catching team continues to amaze me. This group of about eight people is made up of North American volunteers, a local translator, and a local veterinarian. Though some dogs come right up to them, many dogs hide in the overgrown forests and abandoned houses in and around Chernobyl.

To protect themselves from radiation, the team has to be very careful. They can’t place supplies on the ground, and they all wear long sleeves and pants. They have handled the near 100-degree days of the past few weeks amazingly well. Without them, none of this would be possible. Now in our third year of sterilizing and providing medical care, over 1300 dogs of Chernobyl have received treatment. 

Last, but not least, our efforts in Chernobyl are truly making a difference. Though a few dogs remain unsterilized, the vast majority of dogs in the area are no longer reproducing. With fewer puppies being born, fewer dogs suffer.

On this trip, I found myself right under the unit 4 reactor where about eight dogs were roaming. Just two years ago, there were dozens of dogs in this location. The power plant workers used to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of dogs and couldn’t care for them all. With the reduced numbers of dogs, the workers can care for them all without the constant threat of more mouths to feed. It is truly a testament to what can be accomplished through partnership and hard work on behalf of animals in need.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for photo and video updates taken during the 2019 Dogs of Chernobyl clinic!

As you roll out the barbeque and fireworks, don’t forget your pet’s safety! July 5^th is one of the busiest days for shelters across the country with a 30% increase in lost pets because many spooked pets flee their homes amidst explosions and smoke. This video rounds up some of the best 4^th of July pet safety tips.

Are you hooked on the new HBO series Chernobyl? All of us at SPCA International are watching closely. Even though we have been working in the area for several years, the series is captivating. 

When thousands of people were forced to evacuate Chernobyl in 1986, they were allowed to take only what they could carry. They were told they would be home soon, so most people left their pets behind with a little extra food and water. Unfortunately, these families were never allowed to return for their beloved cats and dogs.

Miraculously, many pets survived the disaster on their own. Today, hundreds of their descendants continue to live in the Nuclear Exclusion Zone. These animals live short and difficult lives. They forage for food in the forests or depend on current power plant workers to give them scraps. Dogs rarely live to seven years old.

Since 2017, SPCAI has partnered with Clean Futures Fund to care for these dogs and cats. Thanks to the support of local organizations and many volunteers from around the world, we have been able to provide food, medical care, vaccines, and sterilizations to over 800 of the dogs and cats living in Chernobyl. 

Clean Futures Fund worked diligently to test radiation levels of these animals. They found that the majority of animals don’t pose a radiation threat to humans. Thanks to these very low radiation levels, Clean Futures Fund and SPCA International worked with the Ukrainian government to pave the way for 15 puppies to be removed from the Nuclear Exclusion Zone. These puppies were adopted into homes in the U.S. last year! No animal or object had ever been allowed to leave the Nuclear Exclusion Zone before, so this is groundbreaking.

Our team is heading back to the Nuclear Exclusion Zone next month to help more Chernobyl dogs and cats. Please join our email list to learn more about ways you can help or make a donation to help the dogs and cats of Chernobyl.

Syri and Rubble represent SPCA International’s Operation Baghdad Pups: Worldwide program so well. 

Without the soldiers who saved them, both would be dead today. Syri was found nearly frozen to death and Rubble was buried in a pile of debris. Their soldiers nursed them back to health, kept them safe, and bonded with them. Like many other soldiers, they couldn’t imagine leaving their battle buddies behind to suffer and die at the end of their deployments.

Both soldiers were ready to do anything necessary to save their dogs, but the military prohibits the transportation of animals. That’s why they reached out to SPCA International for help.

Thanks to the generosity of the SPCA International community we raised the money to rescue Syri and Rubble. The soldiers delivered them to our Middle East team. Then they received 24-hour care while we completed their paperwork. 

SPCA International supporters made these and so many other rescues possible. In the difficulty and urgency of their rescues, Syri and Rubble aren’t unique. Every rescue is complicated and costly. That is why SPCA International depends on the generosity of our supporters.

Syri’s rescue was complicated. When Syri and her SPCA International rescue expert arrived at the airport, Syri was turned away because the full flight was nearing the maximum weight capacity. International rescues are always delicate and even the best-laid plans can fall apart in an instant.

Syri was taken back to the boarding facility to await our second attempt. All her medical checks and paperwork were redone for her new travel date. Fortunately, Syri made it through on the second try. Navy Engineer Corey is so grateful to each and every person who donated to Syri’s rescue. He keeps telling the SPCA International team, “I am so lucky”.

Rubble crossed many international borders to make it to Master Sergeant Laurens’ home in the U.S., but he finally made it. Rubble’s rescue was tricky because he was at a confidential location with a special forces team, on a confidential mission.

Though we can’t share all the details, it meant that Rubble was rescued by a chain of people across a region. Each played a special role in ensuring his safety every day and every step along the way. Fortunately, everything fell into place quickly. Thanks to an outpouring of support from SPCA International supporters, Rubble was able to travel within days of Sergeant Laurens’ team. Rubble is now happy and healthy with Sergeant Laurens and his family.

This one’s a tear-jerker, but it reminds us all of the animals in our own lives. The bond between Denali and Ben is captured artfully in this video that chronicles their adventurous life together. It leaves us wondering what our own pets would have to say about their life journeys by our sides.

Updates on some of the pets we recently rescued for U.S. troops: 

Freya – (You might remember this beautiful girl from our emergency alert in December.) Sergeant Kerri rescued Freya when she wandered onto the base in Syria, emaciated, filthy, and frightened. Thanks to SPCAI supporters, we were able to get Freya to safety just in the nick of time. Now, home in North Carolina with Sgt. Kerry, Freya is thriving!

Ripit – Tiny Ripit was adopted by a Navy SEAL team and kept safe in their compound, he had no idea how to survive on his own. Luckily, one SEAL loved Ripit so much he asked SPCAI to get him home to South Carolina. Ripit arrived home just the other day and is settling into his forever home with the Navy SEAL who befriended him.

Tika –Tika was poisoned and beaten by local shopkeepers near the Baghdad Airport because they considered her a nuisance. She would have died if not for the American hero who rescued her – Jacob is a paramedic and security team leader for the U.S. State Department. Jacob took Tika in and carefully nursed back to health. Today Tika is in her forever home in Colorado with Jacob’s family. 

Frea – This darling girl was befriended by a U.S. Marine Sergeant in Iraq and they reunited in San Diego just a few weeks ago. But don’t take our word for it – Frea’s arrival was covered by the local news. See for yourself – watch the video!

Chachi is a very special dog who is looking for his forever home. We first met Chachi when we were in Chernobyl, Ukraine, to provide medical care and sterilization for hundreds of stray animals descended from pets left behind during the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear disaster.

We could tell Chachi would someday make a great family member, but he had lived his entire life without a home and had never learned how to interact with others. Our friends at Mission K9 Rescue in Texas offered to use their expert training techniques to get him prepared for a loving forever home.

Chachi had a lot of anxiety when he first arrived in Houston at Mission K9 Rescue, but they provided endless love, care, and training, and he grew from a frightened street dog into a happy and loving boy.

His caretakers credit Chachi’s transformation to his best buddy, Tess. Tess was in training to be a bomb-sniffing dog and barely missed the cut. Still, she is a confident, kind, happy, and well-trained girl. Both Chachi and Tess are a little over two years old, and they have bonded with each other so strongly, that they can only be adopted together.  

The staff at Mission K9 Rescue tell us that Chachi and Tess are a match made in heaven. Chachi shows endless concern for Tess’ wellbeing and Tess has taught Chachi to trust people. These two will make a wonderful addition to a loving family.

If you are interested in adopting this beautiful pair, please email [email protected].

SPCA International is proud to support Canine Support Network (Red de Apoyo Canino) in Venezuela. The deteriorating economic situation means dogs are at greater risk than ever before, but Canine Support Network is coordinating with shelters and community members throughout the country to foster and rehome animals whose families can no longer care for them.  They also provide regular spay and neuter events to help curb the ever-expanding stray population. 

As hyperinflation continues in Venezuela, dogs that were once cared for as family pets are now wandering the streets because working-class families simply can’t afford to feed a dog as they struggle to feed themselves. Additionally, thousands of Venezuelans are fleeing the country each day, often leaving behind dogs and cats. Those still caring for their pets are struggling and sacrificing to do so.

Faced with this difficult reality, Canine Support Network continues to hold spay and neuter campaigns nearly every weekend because they know that pet owners simply can’t afford to pay the surgical costs of sterilization and that this is the best way to keep the stray population from multiplying.

2019 marks SPCA International’s third year of partnership with Canine Support Network, including annual grants to help them continue and expand their operations during this difficult time