It was a pitiful sight but also one that flew in the face of the extraordinary care we had seen the Ukrainian refugees show for the pets they had brought with them to escape the Russian bombs. We had witnessed this during the second week of the invasion at several crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border and again, in the last week at the Hungarian border – and many told us of the pain they felt about larger pets, mostly dogs, they had been forced to leave behind.On hot summer days, walk your dogs before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. — or walk them only in shady or grassy/dirt areas.
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INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Your dog is as smart as a two-year old! Ever wonder why children around this age seem to have a special bond with the family dog? It could be because they speak the same language, roughly 250 words and gestures in fact.
We watched as refugees who had queued for hours on foot carrying young children and their worldly possessions still found the wherewithal to physically carry their pet, often lugging them in pet carriers along with weighty supplies of pet food.
(Lucy Young)It’s not a fever…A dog’s normal temperature is between 101 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. How much do you know about dog health? Take our Doggy First Aid Quiz!
One of the untold stories of this war is surely that of how taking care of a beloved pet at a time of personal and collective trauma can be a helpful, even healing, thing to do.
At Kroscienko on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where refugees endured sub-zero temperatures, we saw Olena Boiko, 39, emerge from her 20-hour journey from Kyiv with her Chihuahua, Dolores, peeking out of her coat. At the same crossing we saw Vatazhok, 87, on crutches and her friend, Zhanna Zabrodska, 85, in a wheelchair, muster the energy to carry their respective cats, Syoma and Masha.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: A study at UCSD claims that your dog can genuinely get jealous when they see you display affection for another creature.
(Lucy Young)
Got a lot of studying to do? Here's how to read and play with your dog at the same time: Put a rope toy around your foot.
(Lucy Young)
Use a Food Dispensing Toy for Fast Eaters. If your dog eats too fast use a food dispensing toy (we love the Kong Wobbler & Bob a Lot), or place a few tennis balls in their bowl to slow their eating. Not only does this keep them from eating too quick, it gives them a nice mental workout.
They immediately became a focal point and a way of connecting to other refugee children in the shelter. Elsewhere we saw several hamsters and even mice.
At the cavernous Bok Stadium in Budapest, a national sports centre being used as a filtration point for thousands of refugees arriving at Budapest train station, one of the charities was Animal Aid. The Independent has set up a petition calling on the UK government to be at the forefront of the international community offering aid and support to those in Ukraine. To sign the petition click here.They had set up a stand offering free pet food, professional advice and veterinary information.
If you have an older dog with tooth troubles, add a little water or chicken broth to his or her kibble and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
A spokesman said: “Ninety-nine per cent of the pets people have brought are dogs and cats, but we are seeing the odd rat.”
He held up a pet carrier with a very busy white rat that somebody had found abandoned and handed in just minutes before.
“It’s in good shape,” he said. “The cage is clean and well looked after. We don’t know if it was left behind on purpose or accidentally.”
Other refugees were letting their canine pets stretch their legs and as they strutted across the blue floor of the sports centre alongside their owners, they looked as happy and well looked after as contestants for a Crufts international dog show at Alexandra Palace.Learn everything you can about your dog’s habits and behaviors. If you and I were having a conversation over coffee and I asked you to tell me about your significant other, or your kids, or any other special person in your life, chances are good that you could say quite a bit about them. In fact, you may know more about them than you think.
Initially the EU had imposed no limits on the number of pets refugees could take with them, and border officers allowed them to cross without papers, but according to anecdotal reports from aid volunteers, limits have now been imposed, not just at the Ukrainian border but in some onward countries, and this had led to a rise in pets being abandoned at the border.
(Lucy Young)
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The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here . To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.Make a dog-walking station for the entryway if you have more than one dog. See how this is done here.