Four Paws "is continuing its work in Ukraine Over 6000 animals spayed and vaccinated.

The first phase of the project, the Four Paws-sterilization of stray animals in Ukraine proved to be very successful. At a press conference held on July 31 at the Ministry of ecology and natural resources in Kiev, Four Paws have confirmed their continued work in Ukraine. Dr. Amir Khalil, the project manager of the Four Paws in Ukraine, presented the results of sterilization of stray animals and rescue projects, rehabilitation of bears, and also told about plans and goals for the coming months.

From 23 April to July 31, 2012 more than 6000 homeless animals, mostly dogs, were sterilized, vaccinated and immunized in five cities of Ukraine-Kiev, Lviv, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lutsk. Not only the Four Paws, as well as Deputy Minister of ecology and natural resources of Dmitry Mormul′ called the project a success. He thanked the Four Paws for participation: "Four Paws is a professional organization for the protection of animals, the Ministry will continue to provide support, we will also solve legislative issues relating to animal welfare.

Also at the press conference was attended by Gennadiy Davydov, Deputy Head of the ecology of CPDA, which stated that the city of Kiev supported the work of the charity.

Four Paws command is supported by over 150 volunteers, veterinarians and experts from over 18 countries from around the world. They are happy to help all animals in need.

31 July-the first stage of the project work for teams working in Zaporozhye and Donetsk. At a press conference on 28 July, in Zaporozhye, Dmitry Svirkin, Deputy Mayor, thanked the team of Four Paws: "people of our city like animals, and they want to solve the problem of homeless animals humanely. We are very pleased with the results of the project, and we will do our best to continue the work of Four Paws, they started ".

Anca Tomescu Rada project coordinator achievements commands: "Zaporozhye is one of the best examples of successful implementation of the project. Everything went very well, and the team managed to succeed in resolving the problem. We spent a month in Donetsk and were touched by the feedback from the people ", as already mentioned, this was only the first stage of the project. Four Paws-will continue its work in Ukraine. Emphasis will be placed on the training of veterinarians and cooperation with NGOs, orphanages, and cities that are in favor of a humane method of solving the problem of homeless animals was discussed.

http://www.facebook.com/FourPawsUkraine

 Indiegogo Campaign launched on 07/13/12.

Please help us save animals after the disaster in Krymsk, Russia.
On July 7^th, 2012 torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water on the Black Sea region in Krymsk, Russia overnight, setting off intense flooding from the local water reserve. The water came out of the banks of the reserve and a huge wave spread over the whole city covering houses up to the ceiling level. Estimated 171 people died in the disaster, along with many stray animals and beloved pets. The damage was so great it cannot be described in words. For the latest update and more information, images, and videos, please see the CNN report: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/09/world/europe/russia-floods/index.html

We need your help:
There is no help provided by the government to save the animals in Krymsk. There are only a handful of volunteers who are brave enough to go through this horrible disaster to try to save, feed, and cure as many animals as they can. I propose we show our support in any way we can to these kind hearted people. Animals everywhere deserve a chance to live, no matter how far away they are.

About the Volunteers in Krymsk:
Oksana Belaya is a member of the local dog club in Krymsk, Russia. Right now she is the head volunteer organizer in the effort to save animals after the disaster. This is the main forum on which the rescue activity is recorded: chowchowplus.borda.ru/?1-12-0-00000146-000-40-0 (albeit it is in Russian). As of now, there are only a handful of volunteers, including Oksana, who go around the city and pull out animals from the house roofs, basements, and trees. Many of these animals have already developed skin conditions and need urgent medical care. When Oksana went to local help agencies, she was refused any kind of help. Their reply was: “People have nothing to eat and you are thinking of animals!” Currently, all pet stores and pharmacies are closed and Oksana cannot even buy the necessary supplies needed to save the animals. Volunteers in Saint Petersburg and Moscow have organized the collection of food and medication in their cities and have already sent out a car filled with supplies to Oksana. Their group page can be found here: http://vk.com/club20959500

What we need:
Volunteers desperately need food, medication, blankets, and boxes. Since sending these supplies from US will take a very long time, I have decided to create a project to help Oksana financially so she can obtain supplies from nearby regions that were not affected by the flood. The collected money will be used to purchase necessary supplies that will be shipped from nearby cities to Oksana. The goal of $1000 will enable Oksana to get food and medication for hundreds of animals in the next few weeks.

If you cannot donate at this time, please help us by sharing this campaign with others. Any kind of help is highly appreciated. If you have any questions, you can contact me at dasha@ukraineanimalrescue.com. Thank you!

Hello everyone,
I want to write down a few ideas for projects I want to develop in the nearby and further future. I have been thinking about these ideas for a few weeks now, trying to come up with a way to make them a reality. If anyone has suggestions please share.

1. Find an ongoing funding source for the neuter/spay program in Harkov, Ukraine- the only city in Ukraine who has declined the help of 4 Paws. However, many people became outraged by the decision of government officials and want to implement educational programs for children called "kindness to animals" and provide free spay/neuter service to low income families themselves. The price to neuter/spay an animal would be about $20-$40 and needs to be subsidized by an external source.

2. Help shelter "Sirius" in Kiev (has 1500 animals), which currently is moving to another location and needs funding to complete the renovations and the building of an enclosure (10-15$K needed)

3. Establish an ongoing funding for specific difficult cases for animals in Ukraine. The volunteers in Ukraine mostly work in small groups- they take injured/sick animals from the streets and take them to the vet, while looking for foster/permanent homes. Most of them are able to collect donation from kind people in Ukraine. However, some cases require expensive operations and purchase of prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs, which need external help. To make things complicated, there is no paypal in Ukraine and no easy way to send small individual donations to Ukraine without incurring large fees, thus a need to develop central source in US that can collect individual donations and then send it all together to Ukraine where it can be then distributed to volunteers with minimum fees.

4. Establish a way to rescue animals from Ukraine and transport them to loving homes in US. People may wonder why do this when US already has high number of unwanted animals. There are a few good reasons: a. our home is the world, not just one country, b. these animals have lived on the streets for very long time and as a result, they acquired an amazing intelligence as well as immunity to many diseases- which would be a great asset to any owner in US who is aware of the skyrocketing vet costs in our country, c. no one ever saved strays from Ukraine and transported them to US and it would be a dream come true for volunteers as well as these animals to know that other countries support them and want to help, and d. many animals there are so grateful for any show of human kindness that they will forever by loyal and loving friends- this can be seen in cats that keep on purring when volunteers take them to the vet, broken, after cruel people beat them to death. The transportation costs would be covered by myself, my family and friends in US. All we need is to find good homes or find organizations that will be able to help me search for them.

These are just a few opportunities for my involvement and I welcome any help from the readers. If you would like to join my team in helping animals in Ukraine, please email me at belkaheaven22@gmail.com.
Love, Dasha

Summary of Animal Protection in Russia:

07/02/12
http://rusnewstv.ru/archives/9748

In a insane world only the sane people are Crazy...
HERE'S TO THE CRAZY ONES...
RESCUE INK..
www.rescueink.com

Thank you FOUR PAWS, thanks to all the volunteers. YOU ARE AMAZING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y_GKjGRj2q4#at=65

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fourpaws.org

 The Minister of Education and Science, Youth and Sports, Dmitry Tabachnik has signed an order that prohibits the use of animals in laboratories in universities in Ukraine (2012)

http://delo.ua/ukraine/tabachnik-zapretil-ispolzovat-podopytnyh-zhivotnyh-v-uchebnyh-lab-171065/

First government shelter opens in Harkov, Ukraine: Curse or Cure?

06/14/2012


http://www.day.kiev.ua/229946

"Until each Ukrainian citizen understands that each litter of stray kittens and puppies is another litter of potential dead animals, the problem of stray animals in Ukraine will never be solved."

"There is little talk about humane euthanasia at the opening of the shelter and much accent on the wonderful capabilities of the shelter, first one in Ukraine, that will be modeled after shelters in Western countries, through which 1500 animals will go through every month. However, this is not 1500 lucky ones that went into a new home, but 1500 that will be put to sleep to make space for the next batch. And who is luckier, the ones that got into the shelter or the ones that remain behind its walls, on the streets where they are cared for by kind people? The answer to the question is not straight forward."

Harkov refuses to sign with 4 Paws !!!

"A contract scheduled to be signed yesterday between the Mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and FOUR PAWS has been cancelled at the last minute. The reason is that the authorities in Kharkiv wanted to alter the content of the agreement substantially while contracts with the same content had already been signed by the representatives of the cities Kiev, Lemberg, Zaporozhye and Donetsk.

For FOUR PAWS the changes meant that neither the proper implementation of the project nor a clear commitment to stop the dog killings by the authorities would have been guaranteed. Dr. Amir Khalil, head of the FOUR PAWS stray animal care project argues, that these conditions, are essential for the project. FOUR PAWS will therefore not compromise over the welfare of dogs and other animals nor on the quality of the care. Dr. Khalil continues, that all other cities FOUR PAWS works with accept the same conditions and are pleased with the progress made and we are providing a model for a humane solution of the stray dog situation. The path decided on by the city of Kharkiv is counterproductive and unacceptable.

The signing ceremony of the cooperation contract between the city of Kharkiv and FOUR PAWS was scheduled to take place today at the inauguration of a big animal shelter. FOUR PAWS hopes that the authorities will eventually reconsider their decision and is still ready to cooperate with Kharkiv. Particularly as it has shown in other cities how well received the project has been perceived by the local people as well as the authorities and how effectively our humane solution for stray dogs can be implemented in Ukraine."

FOUR PAWS is initiating a large-scale online protest urging the city of Kharkiv to accept FOUR PAWS' conditions for the stray dog project! Click here to join the protest
In Russian: http://uci-sk.ucoz.ru/news/2012-06-22-97

Favorite Quotes:

Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is a trait that is unknown to the higher animals. ~ Mark Twain

Building New Shelter for Dolly

Created on 06/17/12
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/122593?a=646580

About us:
Dolly was found by a Mercy Animal Shelter volunteer two years ago, sitting quietly by a local train station in Zaporozhe, Ukraine. As can be seen from her pictures, Dolly did not have an easy life. The front portion of her mouth and nose are missing and it is suspected that the damage was caused by a firecracker. When Mercy found Dolly, she was in danger of being euthanized by animal control, which received complaints from locals who found Dolly’s appearance to be quite a nuisance. After Dolly was taken in by Mercy, it was discovered that she was also pregnant and in a few months gave birth to 8 puppies, 6 of which were adopted and 2 of which stayed with their mom.
Right now Dolly is the shelter’s superstar and the face of Mercy. In fact, her injuries didn’t slow her down a bit – she eats well, plays well with other dogs and when she sees someone staring at her with worried eyes she sticks out her tongue as far out as she can as though she’s saying “Don’t worry, I’m alright!”
My name is Dasha and I work with various animal organizations in Ukraine. One of these organizations is Mercy, which saves stray animals that have been poisoned, hit by cars, abused by people or just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. The volunteers at Mercy act in emergency situations by taking animals that have been hurt to the vet, providing temporary foster care, while searching for forever homes. Volunteers at Mercy pay for the care out of their own pockets and rely on donations from friends and neighbors. Currently, Mercy owns a private shelter which houses 10 dogs and 40 cats, most of which are either disabled or very old and unfit for life on the streets. For more a picture slideshow of Mercy's residents please look here: http://youtu.be/SHwhqMChwVg.
In the wake of the preparation for Euro 2012, it is estimated that 250,000 stray dogs were killed or hurt by local authorities in Ukraine in an effort to “clean the streets.” As a result, the amount of disabled dogs has increased tremendously in various cities including Zaporozhe. That is why Mercy needs your help to build a bigger shelter.


What we need: A bigger shelter!
Mercy has found a parcel of land in the suburbs of Zaporozhe. This land has a built-in structure that can house about 50 dogs and 80 cats, 80 animals more then Mercy does now. Mercy has already collected 1/3 of the funds needed and needs our help to collect the rest.
Breakdown:
$750 to complete the purchase of the land
$100 to build an enclosure
$50 to transport the current residents of the shelter to the new location
$90 will cover indiegogo fees and the cost to transfer money to Ukraine


Goal reached!

With the help from all our funders, we have reached our current goal! All extra funds we collect will go into purchasing the necessary equipment and supplies for the shelter. The money will also be used to purchase food for the animals as well as pay for emergecy vet care in the future. Thank you all for having such kind hearts and helping us achieve this dream!


Impact:
With the new expanded shelter, Mercy will be able to save many more animals then it does now. Mercy will be able to foster animals before they get adopted and provide a permanent home to disabled and elderly animals, like Dolly.
Mercy's group page: http://vk.com/miloserdie_zp

Please VOTE for my friend LARISA USTEMENKO who is trying to win money to build a sterilization room at an animal shelter in Ukraine. THANK YOU :)

Dear friends,
In Spain there is an action in which on gathering of voices the winner is defined and receives money! In this action participants describe on what purposes money is necessary and people vote! My name is Larisa Ustimenko. I placed In the message which specifies that money will go on the equipment of sterilization centre in city Vinnytsja for homeless animals.I have now 178 voices (on the 16 th page, always changing((further)The voting ends 30 of June!! It is easy for making even without knowledge of Spanish.
1 GO TO www.reinventateconwilkinson.com
2 ACCEDE CON EL F (facebook)
3 press VOTA
4 find the idea larisa ustimenko (can be from 16 page or ....)
5 VOTAR
There is a message solo puede votar una vez, means you deed it you will see the number rised)) Thanks for your time. [:-)]

Hola! Me llamo Larisa.Soy de Ukrania.Antes del Eurocopa havian matado,maltratado y quemado vivos 250 000 mil perros y gatos por las ciudades de campeonato.Trabajo como voluntario en una protectora de la suidad Vinnutsja. Hay 300 perras que no estan sterelizadas.Tenemos un edificio con 3 habitaciones pero no tenemos equpamento de sterelizacion.Con este equpamento quremos ayudar para no producir se mas a 15 000 perros y gatos que viven en la calle y 300 que estan en la protectora.Ayuda a nuestros amigos te nesecitan!
!!Reinvéntate con Wilkinson
www.reinventateconwilkinson.com
Ser una estrella de la música, aprender inglés en Nueva York, inaugurar tu boutique de moda, prepararte para el trabajo de tu vida. ¡Wilkinson sortea 4.000 € 1 GO TO www.reinventateconwilkinson.com 2 ACCEDE CON EL F (facebook) 3 press VOTA 4 find the idea larisa ustimenko (can be from 16 page or ....) 5 VOTAR There is a message solo puede votar una vez, means you deed it you will see the number rised)) Thanks for your time. [:-)]
Hola! Me llamo Larisa.Soy de Ukrania.Antes del Eurocopa havian matado,maltratado y quemado vivos 250 000 mil perros y gatos por las ciudades de campeonato.Trabajo como voluntario en una protectora de la suidad Vinnutsja. Hay 300 perras que no estan sterelizadas.Tenemos un edificio con 3 habitaciones pero no tenemos equpamento de sterelizacion.Con este equpamento quremos ayudar para no producir se mas a 15 000 perros y gatos que viven en la calle y 300 que estan en la protectora.Ayuda a nuestros amigos te nesecitan! !!Reinvéntate con Wilkinsonwww.reinventateconwilkinson.com Ser una estrella de la música, aprender inglés en Nueva York, inaugurar tu boutique de moda, prepararte para el trabajo de tu vida. ¡Wilkinson sortea 4.000 €

Angry dogs vs. Angry people

Show "Adrenalin" on animal slaughter/abuse in Ukraine. It is a good way to see what the animal situation in Ukraine is really about.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJDwZQkICA&feature=share

A program on a Ukrainian TV show investigates who is behind the killing of animals in Ukraine. This has become a hot topic and is discussed in many countries all over the world. Animal abuse issue has become especially prominent in the attempt to “clean the streets” before Euro 2012, however, the animal abuse problems have existed in Ukraine long before. There is a team of investigators and a team government officials partaking in the discussion.

This is one example of the problem brought by the program: 

The story is of Zinaida Ivanovna, who kept numerous small dogs in her apartment. The people in her building have wrote complains to officials. They said they could smell the animals and also that they are intimidating. Some people in the video say that the dogs were well kept and fed while a vet woman says that they were not. When Zinaida was away from home, four men broke into her apartment and clubbed all her dogs. They took away the bodies in garbage bags. The neighbors heard the dogs crying, so they were not killed humanely. Zinaida says “If these dogs could be placed in shelters I would live in that shelter, they are all I have. But there are no shelters here.”

The program then shifts to the topic of doghunters and even interviews one of them that sits right in the audience. If you are interested in the full transcript of the program, please let me know and I will transcribe it in english.

My personal take away from the show was, while everyone was pointing fingers as to who is to blame, where the problem lies, and who needs to fix it, Khalil, the director of 4 Paws (the volunteer neutering program) when asked who he thinks is responsible, simply said "ALL OF YOU" 

Protests in Ukraine and Europe

Rome, 05/05/12
http://www.demotix.com/news/1194134/protest-against-mass-dog-killings-ukraine-euro-2012-rome

Harkov, Fair Play 06/09/12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQuEOdsWynA&list=UUWlTGzcFH_Ul6qfNBlQUKig&index=1&feature=plcp

Italy, 05/31/12
http://www.animalwelfareintergroup.eu/2012/05/31/italian-meps-protest-against-the-massacre-of-stray-animals-in-the-ukraine-to-clean-up-the-streets-for-uefa-european-football-championship/

Worldwide, 06/11/12
http://rusnewstv.ru/archives/8624

Nurnberg, 06/23/12
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.258349967611428.56457.157349584378134&type=1

Ralph, a beloved disabled dog is killed in Vinnisa Ukraine. (The article is in Russian)

The Murder of Ralph

Attention Vinnytsia!
For several weeks in a row, across the city of Vinnytsia, this vehicle has been used to carry out the poisoning by syringe/lethal injection on homeless animals, many of whom had been neutered including a well known dog name Ralf who was cared for at home.

Please be careful, watch your pets! The registration of the green vehicle:

UAZ-452, fax:?? 101-95 Bl. The men driving the vehicle are called Vladimir and Leonid.

World Press Reports.

01/13/12
http://observers.france24.com/content/20120113-ukraine-stray-dogs-sacrificed-euro-2012-football-championship-despite-killing-ban

04/29/12
 http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2012/04/29/ukraine-caught-out-again-over-euro-2012-dog-slaughter-102039-23840991/

05/03/12
 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4296093/Pamela-Anderson-to-Euro-2012-football-chief-Michel-Platini-stop-the-dogs-slaughter.html

05/31/12
http://www.animalwelfareintergroup.eu/2012/05/31/italian-meps-protest-against-the-massacre-of-stray-animals-in-the-ukraine-to-clean-up-the-streets-for-uefa-european-football-championship/

05/31/12
http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/1/post/2012/05/uefa-football-ukraine-killing-dogs.html

06/01/12
http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/1/post/2012/06/reporting-boycott-uefa-2012.html

06/01/12
http://www.wherebuttheuk.com/1/post/2012/06/reporting-boycott-euro-2012.html

06/09/11
http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/14/post/2012/06/ukrainian-animal-slaughter-update.html

06/11/12
http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/14/post/2012/06/ukrainian-dog-slaughter-latest.html

2012
http://www.isfoundation.com/news/creatures/ukraine-still-killing-euro2012

06/14/12
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-802880

06/15/12
http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/14/post/2012/06/ukrainian-dog-killings-four-paws-online-protest.html

Help Needed

"Sirius" animal shelter has to move out of the premises it rented in the near future once again. Once we were obliged to move from the building we had been occupying for 9 yeas. However, our rental contract in the new Tolukon premises is only for 1 year.

More than 1500 dogs and cats of our shelter will be out on streets again.

Thanks to volunteers in the village of Fedorovka, we were able to buy the premises of a half-ruined farm. The animals will only be able to be moved to the new place after it is registered with the state which requires the construction of a vet’s office, planning permission etc. We are currently actively performing the construction works. And we urgently need money and any help to complete them

http://dogcat.com.ua/en

How to help:

http://dogcat.com.ua/en/finance

Zhivoderam NET- an organization that fights against dog hunters/killers.

http://zhivoderam.net/

About the project"Zhivoderam.NET" - a Citizens' Initiative, a social project aimed at improving the quality of performance of law enforcement duties assigned to them on disclosure, suppression and prevention of offenses relating to cruelty to animals.
The aim of this project - to attract public attention to the facts of abuse of and illegal destruction of animals, including dangers it presents to the health and well-being of citizens. To urge the law enforcement to prosecute animal abusers and sadists at any price, to close the websites of these abusers who call themselves doghunters, and to force the police to fulfill their direct duties and responsibilities in all cases related to animal abuse.The project was created by means of personal and collective caring of people and will be able to develop thanks to your support. If you wish to support the site visit the section "Material support". In it you will see the data for the transfer of donations, as well as a report.

This is a collection of petitions to stop the mass killing of stray dogs and cats in Ukraine.

Tell Ukraine to Stop Burning Animals Alive
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/tell-ukraine-to-stop-burning-animals-alive/?cid=FB_TAF_old1


Ukraine Is Burning Animals ALIVE. Take Action Now!
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=UkraineStrayAnimals

PETA
https://secure.peta.org/site/Donation2?df_id=7440&7440.donation=form1&set.custom.Campaign_Code=H12EWAXXXXL&s_src=FBOrg&s_subsrc=CA2012M2&autologin=true


Stop the killing of cats and dogs in Ukraine for the EURO 2012

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_the_killing_of_cats_and_dogs_in_Ukraine_for_the_EURO_2012/?fCFagbb&pv=10

250 000 has been killed so far in Ukraine in preparation for Euro 2012. Here is a collection of videos and documentaries on the subject (warning: all have very disturbing content and graphics).

Bloody Euro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT05XhOX5TQ
Documentary by Volodymyr Ariev, Ivan Kravchyshyn and Kateryna Filipenko. How Ukrainian authorities clean out cities for EURO 2012 with mass killing of homeless animals. ATTENTION!!! - some episodes are contents cruel scenes. Film is absolutely forbidden for all Ukrainian TV.

Message from Anonymous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJPWMB8MJs&feature=share
We are Anonymous.
It has come to our Attention that the UEFA Football EURO 2012 & Ukrainian Government have been engaging in one of the most brutal, bloody systematic slaughters of animals the world has ever seen...

Instigator: animal abuse in Ukraine
http://vbloge.org.ua/3511-provokator23-06.html


Say NO to Killing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dawmcj7dBts

Euro2012 - Stray Dogs Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrrJh5bMN0I&feature=you

Four Paws Update- Week 6 in Ukraine:

FOUR PAWS teams in Zaporozhye:
For more than a week now, eight FOUR PAWS employees, veterinarians and many volunteers have been working in Zaporozhye. During the first week, 150 stray dogs have already been neutered. The city of Zaporozhye has warmly welcomed FOUR PAWS and given its full support. Many people are actively helping us: they bring their own animals or tell us where to find stray dogs.

 

Four Paws Update- Week 5 in Ukraine:

Four Paws neutering project is expanding:

"More and more city administrations are cooperating with FOUR PAWS to support our neutering project. Since Monday, one of our FOUR PAWS teams has been working in Zaporozhye and neutering dozens of dogs every day. Another team has arrived in Donetsk and will start working on Thursday. Also, the city of Charkiv will soon be cooperating with us." 

You can donate to this project here: Four Paws

Welcome to the blog!