“I sheltered a mobilized pet, but did not calculate the strength.” Where to help

In the review, you will find funds, shelters and services that help to accommodate mobilized dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and rodents. 

In the photo: Yana Matvievskaya, owner of the Territory of Care premium zoo hotel

If neither you nor your mobilized friend have the funds to keep a pet in a zoo, check your luck. Perhaps it is in your city that there are shelters that temporarily take the pets of the mobilized. For example, birds, fish, rodents and rabbits are accepted for temporary keeping at the Kaliningrad Rehabilitation Center Baltic Biosphere. But dogs and cats will not be helped here. 

Dogs are more expensive to keep. Therefore, completely free options are few. But still there are exceptions. For example, dogs are accepted by the shelter of the Lassie Charitable Foundation in Tynda, Amur Region. And the rehabilitation center-shelter for disabled animals “Chance” in Kurgan accepts even sick pets mobilized. 

Take a closer look at nurseries that provide a discount. For example, in the Irkutsk nursery K-9, 6 thousand rubles are taken for maintenance. instead of 12 thousand rubles. per month. There were different cases – they even took the dog from the military registration and enlistment office. More regional options for where to attach a pet were analyzed in detail by the information partners of the Khvost News community Dobro.Journal: 

Nikolai Tsiulin, the founder of the Petpet.me project, explains to Khvost News subscribers how to choose a competent shelter:

“Call the shelters in your city. Usually they do not refuse there, but to be sure, leave money for the maintenance of your pet. Look for shelters on the Internet: groups and channels in social networks for your breed of dog, even if it is not purebred. Write there with a request to adopt a pet and post beautiful high-quality photos. 

But I do not recommend blackmailing volunteers by putting a dog to sleep in response to a refusal to accept a pet.».

And this is an important note. Don’t take your frustration out on volunteers. They are having a really hard time right now. These people help for free and give their best. If you are refused, it means that they really cannot shelter your pet. Your resentment will not solve the problem, but it will hurt another person.    

Advantages:

• Free for the applicant;
  

• The pet can be taken for a while;  
  

• The pet will be provided with the usual conditions: food, medicine, care.

Disadvantages:

• There is no guarantee that your pet will be taken right away;

• Most likely, the pet will not be provided with the usual comfort.

How to help: Regional shelters really need help. “Whom the mobilization has not touched, we urge to do a good deed. Find shelter pages in your city and support them. There is an urgent need for food, funds for medicines and household needs. Don’t stay away. Let the mobilized guys do not worry about their favorite four-legged ones. It’s the least we can do for them.“, – says Nikolai Tsiulin. 

Shelters are not able to support all the pets that find themselves without a home. There will not be enough space, money, or veterinarians. Therefore, many help those mobilized informationally and organizationally. Exactly so in one of the very first shelters in Volgograd – the zoo center “Dino”. This is a shelter on 12 hectares on the site of an empty military unit. The zoo center was the first in the Volgograd region to engage in trapping, sterilization and return.

The Zoo Center cannot overexpose all the homeless pets in Volgograd. As a shelter, it is suitable only for military dogs – in enclosures. For a domestic dog that lived in an apartment and slept on the couch, such conditions will cause stress. Therefore, the zoo center “Dino” maintains two bases: those who ask to take a pet, and those who are ready to shelter cats, dogs, parrots. 

Khvost News asked Anzhela Makarova, the founder and head of the Dino Zoo Center, why the shelter launched a campaign to help the pets of the mobilized owners. 

«I was inspired by a recent incident. Before partial mobilization, a Staffordshire terrier came to our shelter. It can be seen that the dog is well-groomed, domestic. And yet I ended up outside in the cold – it was late autumn with abnormal frosts. We guessed that most likely, this is a lost dog – the owner is looking for a dog. They brought us to our shelter. Posted photos on social media. And soon the owner of the dog called. Turns out he was in the army. He entrusted the pet to his mother of advanced age, but the woman could not cope with the muscular dog. On a walk, the pet twitched, and the woman fell, broke her arm and ended up in the hospital. So the dog ended up on the street. 

The owner of the dog called friends to look. But they didn’t find it. The guy really asked us to leave the dog at the shelter until he returns. We agreed. And the dog turned out to be very faithful. Looked out only silhouettes of guys. As a result, the pet waited for the owner, and we returned the dog. 

So, when partial mobilization began, I remembered this incident. And she suggested that even if the mobilized has a family, perhaps not everyone is ready to take responsibility for these pets. And to help in such a situation is the duty of everyone. Decided that all people should be involved». 

Not only the mobilized owner, but also his relatives and friends can ask to attach a pet. At the same time, unlike similar bases without their own shelter, the zoo center acts as a guarantor that it will not leave such people and will help, for example, with food in a critical situation. It used to be that the mobilized called personally and in advance – they agreed in case a summons came. After all, if this happens, act very quickly. Therefore, Volgograd guys give announcements in advance – they ask to attach a pet. 

Angela Makarova also spoke about attempts to deceive: “I understand that pets are not responsible for the actions of the owners. But those who flee the country, we refuse. Nothing prevents them from taking a dog or a cat with them.” 

Advantages:

• Free for the applicant;

• Perhaps the pet will be accepted temporarily, and not permanently.

Disadvantages:

• There is no guarantee that there will definitely be someone who wants to adopt a pet of your friend.

How to help the shelter: buy eco-shoppers of the zoo center, help with cleaning the territory, walking pets 

A large-scale campaign for the pets of mobilized citizens was launched by the “I’m free!” from Saint-Petersburg. It is called “Be at home, Murzik!”. The action is not only for cats – they also help to attach dogs, fish and rodents. Today, the project already has more than 2 people – these people filled out questionnaires on the foundation’s website. Moreover, about a hundred of them really need help, and the vast majority are ready to take pets for overexposure. And this is not only St. Petersburg, but also other cities. 

The program works on the principle: mobilized or their relatives indicate which pet they are ready to leave and for how long: for the period of service or forever. Then they apply for volunteer custody of his pet. And fund specialists find the best combination. So the pet receives care and care in a new home.

«Most often, applicants for the action are asked to take care of large dogs. After all, relatives more often agree to look after a small pet that does not require difficult care. And for large dogs, you need a spacious living space, long walks, classes with a cynologist or just with an experienced owner. It is more difficult for such pets to find hands within the framework of the action.

For example, I am now helping a guy from Moscow. He received a summons, and there are two large dogs at home. Here, too, the heart bleeds due to the fact that friends will have to be separated not only from the owner, but also among themselves. Of course, we believe that a miracle will happen, and someone will take two dogs at once, but the chances are much less than that of a quiet homebody cat”, – the director for external communications of the fund “I am free!” Yulia Rykova. 

In the photo: Yulia Rykova, External Communications Director of the I’m Free Foundation

Not only mobilized people turn to the fund, but also their representatives: friends and relatives who temporarily look after pets, but understand that they will not be able to provide long-term care and worthy care. Often they take urgent time for themselves and turn to the fund for help. There is no cheating here either. Yulia Rykova told about it:

“We understand that not everyone who contacts us is mobilized. Sometimes these are the ones who decided to relocate. But we do not refuse to help them, because the well-being of pets is the most important thing for us. The only thing is that we refuse those who obviously decided to get rid of an annoying, sick or old pet. As well as those who go on vacation and want to save money by giving their pet for free overexposure. Professionals work for us, they have learned to recognize the catch “. 

Advantages:

• Free for the applicant;
  

• The pet can be taken for a while;  
  

• The pet will be provided with the usual conditions: food, medicine, care.

Disadvantages:

• There is no guarantee that your pet will be taken immediately.

All employees of the fund are now working on the action. For example, operators and administrators process applications, volunteers help get to know those who need help and those who are ready to take care of an animal. Fundraisers and car volunteers are also involved. Yulia popularizes this action in the media, including her personal fund media project “Follow me!”. And you, too, will help to help the fund.

How can I help you: arrange a regular donation on the website so that the fund has a resource for quick response and providing qualified assistance to pets. Starting from emergency operations for injured homeless animals, ending with comprehensive support for Russian shelters.

And one of the last hopes is to look for a new home in person. Many today are ready to take pets mobilized for free. People tell in their posts who exactly they are ready to shelter and for how long. 

In detail, I analyzed publics, channels and other resources to help those mobilized with the same screenshots in the Tail News channel on Yandex.Dzena.

The general conclusion is this: help to those mobilized in social networks is offered more often than asked. This kindness is being exploited for other reasons as well. Such announcements are sometimes labeled as “an application not from the mobilized” or without any explanation at all.

Advantages:

• There is a chance that you will agree directly;

• Free.

Disadvantages:

• No guarantees that they will help;  

• The risk of contacting dishonorable people;

• Very unlikely to be fast.

How can I help you: even if mobilization does not concern you, but conditions allow, you can also offer a temporary home to your pet. And if you were planning a second pet, this is an ideal chance to check after an examination with a veterinarian – how you will live together. Naturally, the comparison is not accurate. Your puppy and someone else’s dog are different, but make out the features of the breed clearly.

Friends, if you know other shelters, funds, promotions and publics that are not in this review and to help pets, tell us on and we will definitely add them.