Rescuer Helps Ukrainian Refugees And Their Pets Stay Together And Find Safe Havens
Aaron Jackson went to the Poland-Ukraine border expecting to help refugees in crisis, but his mission quickly became more personal than he planned.
As people fled the Russo-Ukrainian war, many families were forced to leave behind homes, belongings, and even pets, and Jackson, founder of Planting Peace, found himself stepping into that heartbreaking gap. What started as relief work soon turned into a mission to keep people and their animals together.
That is where Bella and her family came in, and the story only gets more moving from there.
Jackson didn't expect his mission would slightly change when he arrived
When it all started, Jackson was already keeping up with the news.
“I was basically reading news stories and seeing news footage two weeks ago when it all started,” Jackson said. “I saw a story about these refugees living in a train station and how it was freezing, and about two hours after reading that story, I bought a plane ticket and flew over that day.”
What he didn't anticipate, however, was focusing on helping refugees with pets. When he arrived, he saw the situation and how all these people were getting separated from their homes and their families.
That's when he realized that there was a dire need to help keep families together with their pets because they are as much family as people.
“Two million people have left Ukraine, and the majority of those people are crossing into Poland, so housing has become an incredibly complex thing to find,” Jackson said. “It’s even more complex when you have a cat or dog because there are limited spaces, and not every place allows animals.”
That border camp held more than just people in need.
This is a refugee camp at the Poland-Ukraine border
Jackson and his team worked hard to identify refugees with pets who are in need of long-term housing, and fortunately, Jackson found himself in just the right place.
While talking to the director of a local animal shelter they were aiming to help, a family approached, and walking in front of them was a beautiful cocker spaniel named Bella.
The family wanted to make sure their dog was safe
After speaking with the family, the director found out they were refugees seeking a safe place for their dog.
“They’re actually refugees and want to forfeit their dog to us because they’re homeless and don’t have anywhere to go, and they don’t want their dog to be out in the cold,” the director told Jackson.
Soon, Jackson was able to set the family up with pet-friendly housing. At that moment, everyone's joy was evident, even Bella, whose tail wouldn't stop wagging.
The Russo-Ukrainian war has already separated enough people from their families, homes, and dreams, so it is delightful news to see someone helping families stay together with someone as precious as their pet. These people have already had to give up enough.
Hopefully, the war will soon be over, and these families will be able to return to the lives they once had in peace and without the worry of being separated ever again.
That same “no one gets left behind” energy reminds us of a pilot who adopted a stray cat mid-flight during a hurricane evacuation.
Bella didn't have to be separated from her family
“It was really awesome that the stars aligned like that,” Jackson said.
One family got a small but meaningful win.
In addition to helping families find safe and pet-friendly housing, Planting Peace is also donating pet food and carriers to nine of the main refugee centers set up along the border. Jackson wants the people and their pets to have healthy food waiting for them when they arrive after their long and tiring journey.
“You have these families who have traveled 100 miles, 200 miles, to get to the border, and they’ve walked 50 of those miles with a dog on their back,” Jackson said. “So if a person is willing to do that for their dog, I’m definitely not going to be the one to tell them, ‘You gotta get rid of your dog to find housing.’ I’m going to try to do anything in my power to get them into housing with their pet — especially since they’ve already given up so much already.”
Thanks to them, families and their pets are able to stay together. As Jackson knows, pets are family as well.
That kind of reunion is exactly what people were hoping for.
Want another heart-melting rescue? See how the stray mama dog got help from bachelor party guys.
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