🚨⚠️Right now, we are already building the structures of new kennels 🚨⚠️

Mylyj dim Čapa

Today, the shelter cares for 175 dogs and cats. Yet 13 years ago, it came into being almost by accident—out of feeding stray dogs and a small cottage where Ms. Olha lived with her husband. Gradually, it evolved into a place that now functions almost like a hospice for the most injured and unwanted animals. With the onset of the war, however, the situation deteriorated dramatically. From the original 37 animals, their number grew to nearly 200. The shelter was damaged, basic supplies were lacking—and when there was no fuel, Ms. Olha would walk for hours to rescue more animals.

Animals are arriving at the shelter today in truly critical condition—after drone attacks, after floods, starving and severely injured. Outside help is minimal, yet Ms. Olha doesn’t let up for a single day.

"Then came the flood in Kherson. Animals were brought to us from there. Soldiers brought the rescued ones… Today we have animals from almost all over Ukraine. And there’s something that’s very hard to talk about…
When you look at some of the dogs—you know that the boys saved them. The soldiers. They gave them a second chance at life. And those same boys aren’t here anymore… And they live on—in those eyes, in those tails, in those saved lives."
Olha, shelter manager

Right now, we can make a real difference here. We’re right on the ground, building new kennels, and we have full control over how every dollar is spent. That means our help goes exactly where it’s needed.

"Sometimes I just don't have the strength anymore. But there's no turning back. Because they're waiting for us. Because they're alive. Because they're already part of our family. And in the midst of it all—the pain, the loss, the tears—there is also happiness. Real happiness. When you look into the eyes of a rescued animal and know: it's alive. It's safe."
Olha, shelter manager

The financial situation is very dire

The shelter is currently facing an acute shortage of funds. In the past, foundations provided at least some assistance; today, the main source of support comes from individuals, often in the form of small donations from people on social media. As a result, operations are increasingly dependent on loans, and the ability to take in new animals is very limited—only in cases where there truly is no other solution. Hanging over all of this is the uncertainty of what will happen next, especially if there is another exodus of people and a surge in abandoned animals.

Yet the Čapa Shelter is one of the places where even animals in the most dire condition are given a chance—animals that often wouldn’t have a chance to survive elsewhere. Keeping this care going means ensuring that a place and help are found for them too, at the very moment they need it most.