A Dublin man has travelled to Ukraine to rescue pets that were left behind by families fleeing the violence amid the Russian invasion.
Andy Cullen, who set up Husky Rescue Ireland back in November 2014 says he wants to save as many dogs as possible that have been left alone.
After collecting vital supplies, the Kilkenny man has been ferrying them from towns devastated by attacks, to shelters in Poland where they can be rehomed.
He told FM104, “We have already been in to take 15 dogs, and they are gone into a rescue shelter in Poland.
"Families have been forced to leave some dogs behind and it's very distressing for people and the dogs, they know something bad is happening.
“I am an animal rescuer, a dog rescuer, we saw all the stuff on the internet of people trying to evacuate and bringing their pets. I thought of the ones who can’t bring their pets.
Mr Cullen says the Irish have been extremely generous after collecting “10 tonnes” of supplies for the animals and posted an image on Instagram of the generous donations.
Alongside the picture, on Sunday night he posted an update saying: “The team came back to Poland last night.
“Here are a few of the dogs they took out of the first shelter. Between the HRI van and the @Hundar Utan Hem they took 16 dogs.
“The place they went had no dogs left behind but they are getting more in every day so they hope to go back for more.
“These little ones are all so scared but soon they will start a new life and be happy again.”
It’s not confirmed whether or not the dogs can be transported back to Ireland to be rehomed, but he awaits a decision by the Irish government.
“The dogs may end up coming to Ireland, if we can take them. We know there are restrictions, but each dog needs to have a passport, they need to be vaccinated from rabies and they need to be microchipped.
“If our government lets us bring back dogs that are microchipped and vaccinated then we will do that."
