SAVED LIVES

This story took place in Crimea. One day my friend found a stray dog with nine newborn puppies. Leaving them on the street was not an option, but we immediately faced a number of serious difficulties.

The nearest animal control service was located in another city, so we had no way to rely on their help. The puppies’ mother was completely unsocialized: she was extremely frightened, did not allow people near her, and we didn’t know how to help her. It was already getting cold and winter was approaching, so a building supply store donated materials to build a temporary shelter in a place where the dog felt relatively safe. My friend regularly brought food there.

Later, we began looking for homes for the puppies. Finding families for nine puppies—who would grow into potentially large dogs—and only on the condition that they would not be kept on chains but live indoors, turned out to be very difficult.

That’s when we decided to create cozy photographs with string lights to show how much warmth and joy an animal can bring into a home. I posted these photos on Instagram, and in just two days the post spread so widely that we managed to find homes for all the puppies. It was the winter holiday season, and we were happy to receive photos from the new owners—showing the puppies resting on warm, fluffy beds.

Soon after, the puppies’ mother was spayed. Vaccinations, parasite treatments, feeding, care, and transporting the puppies to different parts of Crimea required significant expenses, so we were incredibly grateful to the people who saw our post and offered financial help on their own.

Once again, it was the cozy photographs that helped spread the post, connect us with caring people, and carry this journey through to the end, successfully accomplishing our goal.