Kharkiv family races to get six newborn puppies out of Ukraine

A Ukrainian family in war-torn Kharkiv is racing against the clock to get six newborn puppies to safety as bombs continue to rain down on the city.

The litter of six puppies was born on 16 March.

While food supplies in the city are uncertain and more buildings are being destroyed by Russian bombs the family are sharing their home and their food with the seven canine guests. The family live in a suburb of Kharkiv where shelling continues to be particularly heavy.

The mother hopes a way can be found to safely evacuate the puppies and resettle them in loving and peaceful homes in the UK or elsewhere. The family will be unable to keep them for much longer because they are all growing fast.

UK-based Ukrainian academic Nataliya Rumyantseva is trying to do everything she can to help. She is in contact with the family and is researching ways to help get the puppies to safety.

She said she was particularly struck by the juxtaposition of the kindness and generosity of the family under siege from Russian bombs doing what they can under the most difficult circumstances to nurture new life while the shelling is killing so many in the city and elsewhere in Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians are fleeing their country with their pets and more than a million are thought to have fled to neighbouring countries with their pets.

But depending on the vaccination status of the animal the process of bringing a Ukrainian pet to the UK may be neither quick nor straightforward.

The department said the reason for this was because of the serious health risks posed by animals whose owners had not fully complied with health and documentation requirements.

Defra has admitted that quarantine space in the UK is limited but says Ukrainian pets will be prioritised. The Animal and Plant Health Agency is endeavouring to provide quick approvals for these pets to come to the UK. The government is covering quarantine costs and new blood tests to detect rabies vaccinations will reduce quarantine time. The government is also covering the cost of vaccinations and microchipping for Ukrainian pets.