Rescue was refused: a resident of Kherson and his dog came to Odesa on foot

A resident of Kherson, who was affected by the explosion at the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Station, and whose family tragically perished due to a Russian rocket, managed to make his way to Odessa, accompanied only by his German Shepherd.

The story of this individual was shared by Yana Titarenko, the head of the "Law of Nature" public organization, who was deeply moved by the account. According to her, volunteers assisting displaced persons reached out to her, requesting food and a muzzle for a German Shepherd from Kherson. Titarenko provided all the necessary supplies, and later, she learned from her colleagues that this man and his dog had arrived in Odessa on foot. This happened because they were not allowed on the evacuation buses due to the dog not having a muzzle. They walked for three days.

The owner of the dog did not seek assistance from anyone because he did not have the emotional strength for it. His wife and 5-year-old daughter were killed by a rocket that struck their home, but he did not leave even when the building was destroyed. He only left when the water levels rose, and Russian citizens had completely devastated the place where he was once happy. Without boarding a bus, he simply walked. He had only 300 hryvnias for dog food and water.

According to Titarenko, volunteers have now found an apartment for the man, begun the process of restoring his documents, and provided for all their basic needs. Currently, the man from Kherson and his German Shepherd are gradually recovering. They sleep a lot, as Titarenko mentioned.

Titarenko emphasized that she was deeply touched by this story of devotion and love, particularly the decision of a person to refuse evacuation without their four-legged companion. For this person, the dog is all they have left.

To provide some context, on June 6, Russian forces from within the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Station in the Kherson region detonated structures. This led to the flooding of approximately 80 populated areas, including Kherson. In some places, the water rose by 5-7 meters.

Besides people, volunteers also evacuated domestic and wild animals from the flooded areas. They rescued them from isolated, water-covered territories. This included evacuating raccoon-like puppies, a deer, and kittens to Kropyvnytskyi.

The Odessa Zoo provided temporary shelter for over 200 animals from the flooded areas of Kherson region. Among the animals given refuge were frogs, pythons, vipers, tortoises, raccoon-like dogs, and even a deer.

Additionally, due to the explosion at the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Station, there was a mass die-off of fish in Dnipropetrovsk region.