Ukraine pet charity U-Hearts has launched ‘Operation Paw-pose’ — a selection of Christmas hampers made up of essential items such as blankets, food, and medical supplies to support the animal population in the war-torn country.
The range comprises hampers for cats, small dogs and larger dogs. The one for cats costs £14.26 and contains anti-flea drops and collar, food, shampoo, a toy, bowl, litter and anthelmintics; the one for small and medium-sized dogs is valued at £27.29 and includes food, a toy, anti-flea drops and collar, bowl, shampoo, lead, collar and anthelmintics; and the one for large dogs is valued at £38.45 and contains food, a toy, anti-flea drops and collar, bowl, shampoo, lead, collar, anthelmintics and vitamins.
The hampers, which are on sale until January, are already in Ukraine and can be purchased directly from the website of local retailer Epicentr LLC, meaning that they can be distributed quickly to animal shelters across the country.
U-Hearts Foundation ceo Yuriy Tokarski said: “Hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are living on war-torn streets without their families. It is devastating to witness.
“Every animal deserves to feel the magic of Christmas, which is why we’re hoping Operation Paw-pose will go a long way in providing the animals of Ukraine the necessities they need for basic survival.
“So far, we’ve fed over 37,000 cats and 67,000 dogs and delivered approximately 1,000 vaccines across Kharkiv, Gostomel, Chronobyl and Poltava. Our aim is to increase this over the winter period.”
Iryna Shynkarenko, chief marketing officer at Epicentr LLC, added: “We’re very proud to be supporting U-Hearts Foundation on their important mission at a crucial time of year.
“Every day I drive to work and pass the buildings destroyed by Russian missiles and it breaks my heart thinking about the number of people and animals who suffered and are continuing to suffer. As a country, we can’t handle this crisis by ourselves — we need help from the world.”
Celebrity dog groomer and TV presenter Verity Hardcastle has backed the initiative and is encouraging her followers to purchase one of the hampers. She said: “As a devoted dog groomer, I am committed to animal welfare and the impact the war in Ukraine has had and continues to have on innocent pets’ lives is heartbreaking.
“I hope the UK pet-loving population will get behind us and help make more tails wag and eyes light up this Christmas.”
U-Hearts Foundation has received support from across the pet trade and has three UK partners — retailer Pets Corner, agency Spottydog Communications and the Pet Industry Federation (PIF).
Hampers can be purchased here: https://epicentrk.ua/pet-boxes/
To make a monetary donation, visit: https://u-hearts.foundation/supportourwork/
