The San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) announced Monday it transported the first dog from Ukraine across the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in partnership with the Centers For Disease and Control and Prevention in an effort to ease the cross-border burden.
The Ukrainian dog was taken to SDHS on April 30. A veterinary team performed an exam on the dog and administered necessary vaccines and flea medication.
According to the SDHS, the dog is in good health, but she will remain at the SDHS Behavior Center for “enrichment and socialization” while on 28 days of rabies quarantine. The dog will be reunited with her family after that period.
“Pets are family, and families should never be forced apart,” said San Diego Humane Society president and CEO Gary Weitzman, DVM. “As soon as the war broke out in Ukraine, we began looking for ways to support people with pets and the animals left behind by this tragedy.”
The Humane Society said humane officers will be on-call to transfer more dogs from Ukraine as needed.
“When we heard that Ukrainian pets were getting stopped at the border – right in our own backyard – we immediately wanted to help. Our goal is to get these animals safely across the border and back to their families as quickly as possible. We’ll do whatever we can to help the animals and people impacted by this tragic crisis,” Weitzman said.
Last month, Weitzman returned from a 10-day trip to Poland with antibiotics and supplies in hand as a part of the Greater Good Charities alongside the International Fund for Animal Welfare in an effort to keep Ukrainian families united with their pets. Thousands of animals were left abandoned as the Polish government limited each person to two animals, but these efforts rescued and treated hundreds in need.
