We remembered a poster from our childhood this week – “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” Very true for the dogs of war, too.
Reality slapped us in the face with the image we’ve seen over and over on social media. It’s a picture of a man, holding his French Bulldog on his shoulder, sheltering in the Kyiv subway tunnel. It’s been a sad and sobering week for anyone paying attention to the news.
We’re seeing this particular image because we have many connections to French Bulldog people.
We’ve also seen posts from breeders in countries surrounding Ukraine offering housing and shelter to fellow breeders needing a place for them and their dogs. One Poodle breeder posted a photo of her property, waiting for any Ukrainian breeder who needs a place for their dogs. In addition to the worst of humanity, we’re also witnessing some of the best.
Members of the family
Thousands of civilians are fleeing Ukraine. Encouragingly, despite the huge traffic jams we’ve seen and backups at the borders, the news we’ve seen so far indicates that the countries accepting refugees are also welcoming their pets.
This conflict will be played out with witnesses around the world in real time. Vietnam may have been the first war televised in color. This one will be the one we all see on social media, as it happens, if we pay any attention at all.
The pictures and videos we’ve seen run the gamut – shocking, heartbreaking, and encouraging. When every single person has the ability to broadcast to the world, it’s powerful. Especially so when the neighborhoods, the people, the families, look like they could be somewhere familiar.
Close to home
The community we live in prides itself on diversity. The local school district’s children speak over 60 different languages at home. We have significant Russian and Ukrainian populations. And we’ve gotten to know lots of them through their dogs – either from seeing them in our shop over the years or teaching obedience classes. There’s no difference in the love people have for their families. Including their dogs.
