Saving Hera: the story of Mr. Volodymyr and Hera the dog from Pokrovsk
Being forced to leave your home is a painful and difficult decision. The protagonist of our story showed real strength, because despite the challenges, he was able to take care of himself and his pet.
On January 20, Volodymyr and his dog Hera were evacuated from Pokrovsk. The crews of the Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation helped them get to the transit center in Pavlohrad and later organized Volodymyr’s journey to his daughter in Poland.
Mr. Volodymyr lives in Pokrovsk. He is 74 and has been living there alone for the last year and a half. Alone after the loss of his wife, but not alone, because he had Hera, a faithful dog left to him by his beloved. Hera is 8 years old, and lately Volodymyr has been worried about her more and more – the dog had a papilloma on her jaw and needed treatment.
In January 2025, his house had almost no windows – it was freezing outside, and it penetrated every corner of the room. There was almost no communication, but one day Volodymyr managed to get a call from his friend. She realized that there was no time to delay, and she left a request for her husband’s evacuation on her own. Volodymyr said only one thing:
“The door is open – both to me and to the entrance.” He was waiting.
On January 20, the crew of the Vostok SOS charitable foundation evacuated Volodymyr and Hera. They were temporarily accommodated in a transit center in Pavlohrad. The man was supposed to go to his daughter in Poland, but unfortunately, he could not take Hera with him. However, until he was sure that Hera was safe, he could not afford to leave.
In Pavlohrad, Hera had a successful surgery and found a new home. When her new owner saw the dog, she smiled and said:
“She is just like my first dog. I can’t help but take her.”
Only then did Mr. Volodymyr feel relieved. Now he is in Poland, with his daughter.
The evacuation is part of the Emergency Assistance and Support for Evacuation (EASE) project, implemented jointly with the TERA Consortium with financial support from the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine (UHF). The TERA Consortium was established by Team4UA and includes Vostok SOS as the lead associate partner, and the Charitable Foundation “Angels of Salvation” and the Coordination Center for Assistance as members of the consortium.
