Duane Taylor is putting his life — and his life savings — on the line to travel to war-torn regions of Ukraine with food and medicine for pets affected by the country’s ongoing war with Russia.
It was the second trip for Taylor, who hails from Gander, N.L. and embarked last week.
But this journey came with more fire and frenzy than his first foray into the country.
This time, Taylor and his team crossed from Romania and travelled to Kherson, an area under Ukrainian control experiencing heavy fighting.
“The first time in there … I heard a lot of air raid sirens, but I never heard any explosions or any gunfire,” Taylor told Newfoundland Morning. “This time when we got to Kherson we slept in the van just outside the city, and it was just non-stop sirens and explosions and gunfire. It was a little hard to sleep.”
Taylor took dog food and supplies through Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson.
“When we got [to Kherson], they were desperately trying to repair the highways because they were blown to pieces. You could see the fields on the side where they were minesweeping, because there were so many mines left by the Russians when they left.”
Kherson was taken over by Russian forces in March of 2022, and they remained in control of the city until the following September.
Overcoming ‘Ukraine fatigue’
Taylor said people they encountered were trying their best to move on with their lives. He said the animal shelters he works with were dealing with “Ukraine fatigue” — a slowing of funding coming from outside the country.
“There’s not much in the way of donations and helping anymore,” he said. “Unfortunately the longer the war goes on, the worse it is for the people, and it’s much worse for the animals because nobody is around to feed them. And if they are, they don’t have the money to buy extra food for dogs and cats.”
Taylor said the logistics are complicated, since borders can be unpredictable. Just before they arrived, the border they planned to cross had been blown up.
“We had to wait [in Romania] for about nine days after I got there before we could cross the border,” he said. “And while I was there waiting, it got blown up twice more.”
Taylor founded the group Impact Express and has fundraised in Canada. He said he’s already gone 100 per cent over budget for this year, paying more than $60,000 out of his own pocket.
“It’s been about 90 per cent my own money,” he said. “It is what it is, and it’s my choice. It’s hard sometimes, but I have money and I want to help the dogs. It’s my prerogative for the rest of my life, is to help animals.”
Fuelled by love of dogs
Taylor’s first introduction to Ukraine was through a cycling trip before the war. He met stray dogs along the way, and fell in love with the animals he encountered.
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, he felt compelled to help. While he has delivered some aid to people, the majority of his work has been focused on dogs.
Taylor said many of the animals were abandoned when families fled from violence, and couldn’t bring their pets.
“They didn’t ask to be in these bad situations,” he said. “They’re usually there because of humans. And they’re very grateful when you’re here. I just think they’re honest, beautiful creatures.”
He’s in the region for seven weeks, and then will return to his home in Ottawa to go back to work.
“I’d stay longer, but this is my vacation time. Some people like to sit on a beach. I like to put my hands in porridge made for dogs and squish up meat products to feed them.”
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