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| Photo from https://www.theguardian.com/uk |
I want to introduce to you this little fellow, Spike the dachshund.
I've never met him, although I think we would be friends*. He used to live in Mariupol, Ukraine, but is pictured here enjoying a quiet stroll by the Dnieper River in the city of Zaporizhzhia. He and his family have just been rescued after they spent two terrifying months sheltering from Russian bombardment in the maze of tunnels under the Azovstal steel complex.
Spike's family continued to feed him enough to keep him alive, even though by the end of their ordeal the humans were only eating one tiny meal of 'soup' (just macaroni and water) once a day.
We see so many pictures of refugees fleeing from this horrendous war, leaving almost all their possessions behind, but often clinging on to beloved pets. Gail heard this week about the friend of a friend here in the UK who has offered to house a displaced family from Ukraine - the Ukrainian family all have their visas and are ready to travel but are waiting for a rabies certificate for their dog.
I, Nobby, am beginning to understand how us pups are treasured by our humans and how we should treasure them too in return.
Gail and I hope that Spike and his family stay safe and can start to rebuild their lives in peace before too long. Even though Spike is a dachshund, we suspect he won't be wanting to go burrowing underground any time soon.
*Gail says: Nobby is at that delightful stage of life where he thinks all dogs, and all humans, are his friends!
