The Long Journey Home

The long journey home for me and the puppies, our final passengers. The puppies finally got delivered to the shelter in Ivankiv, west of Kyiv. Natasha was there already running another clinic, but they were eager to accept these little guys and I believe they will find homes very quickly.

I had grown quite affectionate to a lot of the pets we cared for, but these little puppies had travelled so far together with me and they were fantastic partners. I met these little fellows at a tire repair shop outside of Chuguev. Кристина Драгомарецкая (Kristina) and I went out to try and catch a dog there which was determined not to be darted. It was freezing temperatures and she kept running away from us through the field. The dart that Kristina used cracked from the cold. Usually not a problem for her to catch a dog, unless you are in a recently liberated territory from Russia that still has been littered with land mines. So, we had to stay on the path while our escapee taunted us. Meanwhile, I gathered up these puppies that were outside shivering and took them inside the repair shop and put them together on a leather chair to keep them warm on top of a jacket. They ended up coming for the long journey with us. After navigating our way from Kharkiv to Chernihiv (maybe 27 miles from the Russian border northeast of Kyiv) in a 19 hour drive our little passengers were quiet and sweet. Then another drive through icy roads and a snowstorm to Kyiv (another 4-5 hours). Most of the snowplows and sand trucks are being used by the military, so civilians are left to their own bit of luck and winter driving skills. Plus, with no electricity, streetlights and military convoys driving by with all their lights out, adds a whole new challenge. In the morning, another 1.5 hours to the shelter, these guys were ready to have some freedom. I realized we had given away all our pet food (we distributed 4.85 tons while we were in Ukraine with our van), I didn't have any food left for these little guys. I had wrapped their cage in my down blanket to keep them warm for the night because it had dropped to -12 C. When I checked on them in the morning, they were thirsty, but incredibly hungry. All the stores were closed because of curfew and lack of power. I found a store in the morning with a can of salmon and they loved it. We got them to their shelter, and they were so happy to get out of their cage and run around the room.

We stopped for a meeting with Dr. Alexander Shupyk at the Veterinary university north of Bucha. He is also the Director of the Veterinary Association of Universities and Colleges. In our last trip, he loaned us one of his operating rooms (meant for horses). It was a fantastic meeting and discussion which I will tell you more in the near future.

The drive from Ivankiv to Lviv is normally around six hours. Arrival time was 3:15 am, almost 14 hours later. Another missed dinner, so some gas station nuts, and a Snicker bar would have to suffice. Before returning the van, it needed a thorough cleaning. I found a spray car wash and used the high-pressure hose on the inside as well to blow out all the dog and cat food, poop and pee. This was also a great way to clean all the cages which I shopped back to the shelter. By the way, the postal system in Ukraine is amazing and cheap. Far superior to the US and Canada’s system. This cleaning was working well until the inside of the van froze and turned to ice. I delayed the return of the van until I could drive around enough with the heat blasting to melt it. The rental car company had moved its headquarters to the owner's apartment behind the Ecco fuel station. It used to be at the airport, but that is closed, and he had to move all his cars because the Russians had been bombing the airport. Fortunately for me, but not for him, the rental car owner/manager had a bad hernia from trying to move a generator (we had one in the van the entire trip, so I understand his pain), so he didn't want to stand around in the cold and inspect the van. So, he charged me an extra $80 and called it good. Personally, I feel a little bad about this because we probably aged this van a good couple of years in the three weeks we banged around in it.

The train trip from Lviv was not that eventful, but we did meet some Christian missionary girls and one was from Seattle. They have been out in the streets singing the gospel and we had a good discussion about Jesus. Plenty of time for that since we had a two-hour delay at the border. I am not sure why it was delayed, but it meant another missed dinner. Thankfully, I can afford to skip a few meals.

In the morning, the train ride was somewhat uneventful from Przemysl to Krakow. It was great to have all the dogs and cats delivered and not to be driving the van. Kristina let me know that my Ukrainian driving skills over pot holes would flunk her father’s approval. We shared a cabin with a guy that kept lifting his shirt to pick at scabs on his belly and chest, and then would frequently stick his hand down his pants to scratch himself. He did have some kind of homemade alcohol which he refused to share, so I didn't offer him any of my Peanut M&Ms. And we ran into the missionary girls. They told us how thankful they are for the state of Florida and Ron Desantos, a true American and man of family values (in their words). Praise the Lord. When we departed, they asked where I was going, and I told them to turn some water into wine. Honestly, they were very sweet and I hope they save a lot of souls. It’s awfully cold to be outside spreading the word right now.

Now, I am in lovely Krakow. A city I've been coming to for over 20 years. It's become so vibrant and hip. I was prepared to leave at 3:30 am, but Lufthansa gave me the news that the weather in Germany isn't wonderful, so they cancelled my flight. I am leaving tomorrow, and they've rerouted me on United. I just read the email from United saying to prepare for the worse in Chicago. Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I feel like John Candy right now and hope to see you sometime in Seattle/Vancouver.

Honestly, it felt good to have a decent dinner and a glass of wine last night, as well as sleeping eight hours in a comfortable bed instead of curled up in the back of the van on top of dog food with my nose next to the cages of those beautiful dogs and cats.

UWARF started with Tana and I going to a sanctuary to walk dogs and care for cats on the border and it's matured (I'll dare use that word) to become one of the leading animal organizations in Ukraine. In this short time, we have sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped 4,115 dogs and cats. With our partner Gary Baxter at DogsNHomes and the help of our friend Tom Bates and Nick Tadd (just got out of the hospital in Kharkiv) we've distributed nearly 40 tons of food, and with Кристина Драгомарецкая (Kristina) and her Sanctuary Under the Sun shelter, we have helped find countless homes for these animals in Ukraine and in Europe. One of the best things is to hear from the Ukrainians how thankful they are for the help. Our donors and team members should be extremely proud. I am. Happy holidays and please give all your pets a very big hug from us.

Soon, we will be letting you know what's next. We've learned so much every time we do these clinics and there are some opportunities to make an impact.

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