When air raids become part of everyday life and explosions are a sound that no longer frightens, survival becomes a daily challenge. In such situations, animals are the guardians who save lives with their senses, habits and love. Sometimes literally. These stories tell how a dog became the reason why people stayed alive.
Ksenia from Dnipro: “Dogs saved my life”
January 7, 2024, Dnipro. Ksenia Baranova, an animal welfare volunteer, decided to take her dogs for a walk despite the Christmas hustle and bustle and the cold. At the same time, her house was the target of a Russian missile. The explosion completely destroyed the house, but Kseniya and her dogs were outside. She didn’t hear the alarm, she didn’t suspect any danger – she simply did what she does every day: look after those who depend on her.
After the tragedy, she was left homeless, but with her life – and that’s what counts. “I think I switched to autopilot. And it was only then that I realized that without her I would already be dead,” Ksenia – Ksenia says.
Julia from Crooked Horn: “The dogs saved her life and mine”.
December 24, 2024, Crooked Horn. Julia Kushniruk was supposed to stay at home, but at the last minute she decided to take her dogs to the groomer. Her house, a multi-storey building, was hit a few minutes later. The apartment she lived in disappeared under the rubble. The whole house was in ruins.
But Julia was on the other side of town – she couldn’t leave her dogs unattended before Christmas. Even though she lost everything material, she says:
“Those dogs didn’t just save me, they saved me, and I owe them more than I can ever repay.”
Dog Richard and teenager Oleksiy in Kiev
June 17, 2025, Kiev, Solomianskyi district. Another massive rocket attack on the capital began that night. Oleksii, a 14-year-old boy, was walking his dog in the courtyard. He was about to enter the building when Richard, his dog, suddenly took off running. Without hesitation, the boy ran after him. At the same moment, a rocket hit the house.
The entrance, where he could have just stayed, was completely destroyed. People were killed. Oleksiy stood shocked in the street with his leash in his hand. The dog was later found – he was terrified but alive.
The family is convinced that Richard sensed the danger. And thanks to him, Oleksiy survived.
Conclusion.
These three stories are no happy coincidences. They show the close bond that we have with our pets and that we often take for granted. Dogs are creatures that sense the world more deeply than we previously thought. Their instincts, habits, desire to go for a walk or to attract attention sometimes become an important step. In times of war, when the usual rules no longer apply, it is the “little things – such as taking the dog for a walk – that often save the day.
These are also stories of responsibility. These owners did not abandon their pets even under fire, and this devotion came back to them in the form of rescue. Mutual caring between humans and animals doesn’t always look heroic – sometimes it’s just a timely walk. But the consequences can be huge.
We’re used to thinking that we save the animals. But nowadays they save us too.
