Shelters are a hit-and-miss environment for dogs. While it sometimes gets them off the street or out of a bad living situation, it often leaves the dogs isolated, stressed, and scared. One veterinarian went to change the way shelter dogs live and find their forever homes.
Ten kilometers from the Ukrainian border is the southeastern town of Przemyśl, Poland. There, Dr. Radosław Fedaczyński runs an organization called the ADA Foundation (Fundacja ADA).
When they started, he said they initially focused on treating wild animals and only dealt with a few dogs and cats that had been abandoned by their owners. For the staff, Dr. Fedaczyński says, they believe all animals deserve to be treated.
When the war in Ukraine commenced, the ADA Foundation accepted pets freely from people heading to refugee camps, places where pets weren’t allowed. Although dangerous, the group also made several trips into Ukraine to search for and recover abandoned animals that had been left or injured in the conflicts. So far, the foundation has rescued over 1,000 animals, mostly cats and dogs, from Ukraine.
Once gone under surgical treatment (if needed), de-flead, and injected with various courses of shots, the animals are placed into longer-term residences. For dogs, they are put in cottages that are on the premises. Set up like a living room with air conditioners, couches, desks, and rugs, the homey environments are great places for dogs to relax and acclimate to a friendly living space. A lot of the office staff work out of the cottages, giving the dogs the ample close contact they require.
They also work with behavioral specialists to help the dogs adjust to unnerving sounds like doorbells, loud televisions, and vacuums. All of these interactions and home-like environments help reduce the dog’s stress, making it easier for them to find their forever homes.
Instagram’s thegoodnewsgirl gives a great overview of the special features of the Dog Village, showing just how different it is from an average shelter. You can also find the Instagram page of the foundation here.