Some people can’t stay indifferent to animals abandoned by their owners
[ Pictures and description are taken from the journal of Оттенки Серого ]
TV in this room clearly looks out of place. Sergey Fokin actually doesn’t have where to connect it. Sergey is not just the person empathetic to animals. Twelve years ago he sold his only apartments and decided to organize a dog shelter.
In the beginning he had an idea to organize shelter for the the four-legged veterans from the special forces.
But it failed. Because Sergey simply could not reject the animals in distress: abandoned, hit by car, sick or dying from the cold. Therefore, his project didn’t have any hope for commercial success.
The money was enough only to buy land and install the kennels. Hundreds of dogs got the chance to survive, and dozens found new owners.
The former dog handler lives with the dogs together. Without electricity, water or even household registration, he is only thinking of those who need his help.
He is helped by empathetic people who bring food and medicines…
… and help to clean the territory and take care of the animals.
Sixteen-years old Boni all his life served at customs and during his career found drugs for the overall worth of two million dollars. But after retirement, only Sergey took interest in him.
Puppies born on the territory of orphanage also were brought here by volunteers, otherwise it would be the last fall in their life.
Living with dogs, Sergey dreams only of one thing – to get an official status for his shelter.
Fan page of the dog shelter in Pushkino
Fortunately, Sergey Fokin is not alone.
The dog shelter in Pushkino even has its own fan page in VKontakte (Russian social platform).
Here are some messages left in that page showing the interaction between volunteers.
Natalya Menzhunova: Thanks to Katya Mashkova for 10 cans of cat food.Спасибо Кате Машковой за привезенные се годня 10 банок кошачьих консервов.
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I understand his love for the animals but eventually it can become unhealthy to care for so many animals. He should be careful about how many he takes in.
Exactly my sentiments.
Though, in this guy’s case I think he is already past the point of no return..
how is this man not a great human being? you have posted another article about dog hunters where you say in the comments “I have to admit that at the time of writing this post I was critical of these dog hunters.
After reading more discussions on internet, I started thinking that it’s not as black and white as it seems.”
id rather more of you gave up your home’s to care for these animals then make a sick game of killing them…
This guy is doing great job, but everything has its price.
In his case, since he is probably single – it’s only him who is paying the price of living hard life.
I – like most ordinary people – am ready to admire him and help him/his shelter, but definitely wouldn’t be able to repeat his deed.
***
Regarding the dog hunters, it’s indeed not black and white. The visceral reaction to those people is anger and disgust. But one must understand why the dog hunters exist (and why they exist in Russia).
Stray dogs can become dangerous – especially when there are no municipal services taking care of their population.
As an illustration, I’d like to refer you to the most recent news about the big population of wolves in the Russian region of Sakha.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20932461
Since the population of wolves has grown much above the “healthy” limits, there is a need to hunt them down (as long as people believe in their priority to live in the safe environment).
Together people are stronger than just one person.
Even stronger is the media’s power.
I hope that these animals can finally have a comfortable shelter soon.
While living in Ukraine, I was always inspired for how people treated animals there. Growing up in the USA, I had always assumed that Americans were the most animal loving, but after spending a bit of time there I quickly understood my flawed logic.
People in Russia/Ukraine/etc have a deep love for animals in general. They don’t consider them pets, but a different form of life. I have heard time and again that many think higher of animals than they do of people, and they often back up those statements with action.
I also love dogs. This is a wonderful idea to cater for them.
Wow, such a wonderful and sad story. Amazing how much respect some people can have for dogs and other animals. Good to know there are some people out there that truly have a heart in the world as it is….
What a sweet and caring man. He must love animals a lot to give up his own comfort for their sake.