Mobilization effect
“Looking for a home, the owner is mobilized / left the country” – after September 21, such announcements filled publics dedicated to helping homeless animals. Animal rights activists admit that due to the mobilization of work announced in the country, they have noticeably increased. The Russians, forced to leave their homes indefinitely, are trying to find new guardians for their pets. According to Yulia Rykova, Director of External Communications at the I'm Free Charitable Foundation, against the backdrop of recent events, the number of such applications to shelters and volunteers has tripled.
Against the backdrop of mobilization, the number of applications to shelters and volunteers has tripled
“After the start of mobilization, requests to adopt animals are definitely coming in more often. And this trend will grow,” confirms Victoria, a volunteer from Moscow.
“Literally today, a girl wrote to me: the dog lived with her ex-husband, he left, she took the animal to her, but not for long – the child has asthma. Now he is asking for help. I am always looking for new homes for pets, just throwing a cry: who is ready to shelter? Moreover, I have not yet had requests from the series “take it for a couple of years, we will return” – in all cases, the animal is asked to be taken away permanently.
Similar requests are received by animal volunteers in the regions. “The guy saw information about abandoned puppies on our page and adopted him. And now he was called up [for military service], and he left, leaving the dog in overexposure – he paid for a month of its maintenance. The guy asked me to take care of the puppy and, if possible, attach it, ”says Marina, a volunteer from Vladikavkaz.
“There are definitely no fewer homeless animals. And with their number, debts for clinics, feed and overexposure grow. Help is possible only thanks to caring subscribers, and now everyone is in a panic. We were left with hungry, undertreated and disabled in our arms. One on one with this trouble.
Many of those who never manage to find overexposure for their pets simply leave them on the street. Charitable program coordinator of the Ray Foundation (helps more than 40 shelters in Moscow and the Moscow region) Natalya Tsvetkova notes that there are indeed more abandoned animals, although this situation is also typical for autumn, when the summer season ends:
“When we find an animal on the street and state that it is domestic, we cannot know what exactly happened to it, why it was put on the street. Pets are constantly abandoned, and it can be assumed that animals will appear on the street – for various reasons, to which mobilization has now been added. But here the question is not in the ongoing events, but in the culture of keeping animals. If a person treats his pet responsibly, he will find a humane and civilized way out of the most difficult situation.”
Those who never manage to find overexposure for their pets simply leave them on the street.
According to Tsvetkova, placing a pet in a shelter is not the best solution for a responsible owner. Relocation to a shelter for an animal accustomed to the house is associated with severe stress, endangering its health and even life. In addition, most shelters are already overloaded, many refuse to accept new wards. The resources of animal protection organizations are at their limit: prices have risen, donations are declining, food and medicine are in short supply.
“If a person is forced to leave and cannot take a pet with him, you need to look for conditions that are as close to home as possible, because such an animal will not last long in a shelter.”
“The main thing is that the animal does not remain abandoned”
After the announcement of mobilization, grass-roots initiatives began to appear in Runet to find a temporary or permanent home for animals in need of care. Charitable foundations launch special programs, animal activists, volunteers and simply caring people join groups in social networks, collect and classify information themselves. Applications come from all over Russia – from those who need help, and those who are ready to provide it. Here are some characteristic ads from thematic Telegram channels:
" St. Petersburg, urgently!
The neighbor was raked right on the street, he never returned. I have his cat in a carrier sitting right in the hallway. I need to get her fixed right now. She is under stress, fights, does not eat… The cat is no longer young, she is 8-9 years old . She has not been sterilized, not vaccinated. Does not interact with other animals. There is no information about health problems, the neighbor did not take him to the vet. The cat itself is small, God forbid, it weighs two kilograms, red-haired.
***
"Urgently! Samara and nearby regions.
The owner is gone, mobilized. Deadline until October 3 (paid apartment), then the dog on the street or in the burial place.
The dog is easy. Girl Peach, 1.5 years old.
Please respond. The dog is doomed."
***
“I'll give it. St. Petersburg.
Cat Anton, 5 years old, neutered, accustomed to the tray, scratching post, home. I have a passport, a chip, vaccinations. The mix, according to the mother of the Maine Coon, weighs 8 kg. I am looking for a loving family for overexposure for a few months or forever if you and the cat become a family. I’m leaving without understanding where and how I will live, I don’t want to harm the cat and myself with such a trip. We are ready to provide financial aid for the cat.”
***
“I'll give it. Urgently! Moscow.
In connection with emigration and future residence in a rented apartment. Rita dog. 4 years. Sterilized, vaccinated. Absolutely non-conflict, loves children. Outdoor content (on their own plot), but can also live in an apartment.
Ready to contain in the presence of video reports.
***
"Stavropol.
I will accept fish, spider, rodents, snails, cat / cat, possibly a male (if they match with my dog) or a neutered bitch.
I will also look after houseplants.
***
“I will take a cat / cat, a dog, depending on the breed, for the entire difficult period. Under tragic circumstances forever.
I have a labrador. Gets along with everyone.
Moscow, YuZAO
The same principle formed the basis of the all-Russian action “Make yourself at home, Murzik!”, launched by the animal protection fund “I am free” (registered in the Leningrad region):
“Everyone who is ready to accept an animal for overexposure or is forced to leave his pet due to departure must fill out a questionnaire on the website. Further, experienced employees and volunteers of the foundation will select ideal responsible hands for the pet. Upon the return of the owner to the usual life, the pet is guaranteed to be returned to him.”
To compensate for the expenses of volunteers who volunteered to take care of abandoned animals, the foundation opened a collection of donations. Formally, the action is intended for those who fell under mobilization, but applications will be accepted from everyone. Foundation representative Yulia Rykova explains:
“Yes, we announced that we will help people who are mobilized, but we will not require any certificate or military ID, we do not have such a column in the questionnaire on the website. Of course, we will receive animals and people who just move to another country. And we will not refuse anyone, for us it does not matter at all what guides a person. The main thing is to prevent these abandoned, abandoned, inappropriate animals at the moment from being on the street.”
According to Rykova, they have already received more than a thousand applications from all over the country, and there are several times more people who want to shelter pets than those who seek help: “Many have already plunged into this story, which, of course, instills faith in humanity ".
Natalya Tsvetkova from the Ray Foundation agrees that the initiative of the volunteers, who themselves have undertaken to look for a “civilized way out of the crisis”, is very inspiring. For those who are going to take advantage of such offers, she recommends carefully checking the information, choosing trusted funds and volunteer associations so as not to stumble upon scammers and intruders.
The initiative of the volunteers, who themselves undertook to look for a civilized way out of the crisis, is very inspiring
"Conscious and kind"
The Insider's interlocutors note another encouraging trend: in the past few weeks, the number of requests related to preparations for crossing the border with an animal has increased significantly. People consult on how to issue travel documents, what vaccinations to get, how to put a chip and pick up ammunition, how to reduce stress for an animal when moving, Natalia Tsvetkova lists: “This suggests that even in such difficult circumstances, many people are not ready to part with their pets and, when planning a move, they want to take them with them.” Indirect evidence of this is the fact that many Moscow clinics have run out of foreign vaccines necessary for the export of animals abroad.
Volunteer Victoria also notes that recently, those who are going to emigrate with their pets often turn to her. “A huge number of people are asking for help with paperwork. But perhaps it is my audience that is so conscious and kind. It is clear that many are solving the problem more radically,” she says. In general, according to the interviewed animal activists, this situation is typical for megacities, where the level of animal welfare is initially higher.