Winter is extremely difficult for many animals around the world, especially for dogs who are homeless and alone. Winter is particularly vicious in Chernobyl, where the descendants of dogs that were abandoned after the 1986 disaster have been living, left to fend for themselves.
Each winter the dogs of Chernobyl are forced to withstand the brutal temperatures of Northern Ukraine. With winter temperatures averaging below freezing, even dogs with long fur are at great risk in these conditions, if they do not have shelter.
One such dog is Kopi. Born in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Kopi’s mother and father most likely suffered through the deadly winters of Ukraine. We can only imagine that they huddled together for warmth to survive. As the ice thawed and spring came Kopi was born.
When we found Kopi he was just months old. Being so young, we knew if Kopi stayed he would be destined to face certain death. The lives of these stray dogs are anything but easy. The lack of food and water, the danger of predators and the devastating Ukrainian winters with temperatures dropping as low as -27C, means these dogs do not typically live beyond five years of age. Kopi would be no exception.
The odds were stacked against him, but thanks to generous supporters we were able to rescue several dogs including Kopi. Instead of facing the cruel fate of Ukraine winters they were given forever homes.
Kopi was adopted by a caring SPCAI volunteer and now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He loves to play with his step sister, Charlie, during the day and sleep in his warm house at night. Kopi has found his forever home with his loving family and is expected to live far beyond the age of five.
In the coldest parts of the world, our partners work to rescue dogs like Kopi every day. They bring them back to the shelter to warm their paws and thaw their fur. They have to constantly shovel snow away from the kennel doors and they’re building as many dog houses as they can, but they are short on funds. It is shelters like these that your donation today will help.
When you contribute today, it will be matched dollar for dollar. It will be DOUBLED and rushed to care for dogs and cats who are cold and alone.