UKRAINIAN REFUGEE REUNITES WITH DOG AT SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY AFTER QUARANTINE
Photo credit: San Diego Humane Society
May 29, 2022 (San Diego) -- A Ukrainian refugee who separated from her beloved Pomeranian at the U.S.-Mexico border in order for the dog to complete a required 28-day rabies quarantine, has been reunited with her dog at the San Diego Humane Society on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
The sweet dog, named Perseya, was taken to San Diego Humane Society late on Saturday, April 30. She served her quarantine and was cared for at San Diego Humane Society’s Behavior Center for enrichment. During Perseya’s stay, staff provided her owner with regular updates, including a video translated into Ukrainian by a San Diego Humane Society staff member.
Perseya’s owner is from the Cherkasy region in Ukraine. She arrived in Mexico with her husband, mother and dog and entered the United States via the San Ysidro Point of Entry. In April, San Diego Humane Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered to make it possible for Ukrainian refugees crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to bring their pets with them. “Pets are family, and families should never be forced apart,” said San Diego Humane Society president and CEO Gary Weitzman, DVM. “As soon as the war broke out in Ukraine, we began looking for ways to support people with pets and the animals left behind by this tragedy. When we heard that Ukrainian pets were getting stopped at the border – right in our own backyard – we immediately wanted to help. Our goal is to get these animals safely across the border and back to their families as quickly as possible. We’ll do whatever we can to help the animals and people impacted by this tragic crisis.”
The effort to support Ukrainian refugees entering the U.S. came a month after San Diego Humane Society President Gary Weitzman, DVM, deployed with Greater Good Charities to Poland on a mission to provide veterinary care and help the International Fund for Animal Welfare set up a border crossing veterinary clinic to support pets impacted by the war in Ukraine. San Diego Humane Society will continue to work with the CDC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to transport and quarantine Ukrainian pets as needed.
To learn more, visit https://www.sdhumane.org/services/support-services/uadogs.html.