Breaking the chains

True heroes are not thinkers, but doers. They jump in where they are needed, without first considering whether it is convenient, sensible or even safe.

Just days after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Tom, founder of Breaking the Chains, and his friend Steve decided to travel to Ukraine with a bus full of pet food. And they never stopped doing that.

Breaking the Chains … a name that was heard a lot at the beginning of the war. Almost certainly you have heard about them, admired them and followed their adventures.

At that point Tom had already served 17 years in the British Army and with his friend Steve, also an ex-serviceman, he didn't hesitate for a second and left…

They were not the only ones to leave for Ukraine at the time, but their military skills and knowledge enabled them to venture to regions that were inaccessible to many other aid workers at the time.

You may have read the report of 'our' shelter 'Shelter Friend' In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, in the media simply called 'Dnipro'. Tom and Steve were the ones who even went deep enough into the war zone to bring a supply of feed to Marina as well.

Then they found a place in central Ukraine that they could use as a base and storage facility, a reasonably safe place where volunteers could bring food and medical supplies and from where Tom and Steve could transport the supplies to more distant and unsafe areas. Many thousands of kilometres and many long days followed.

Soon they became known and received one report after another. They came across shelters that had been abandoned by the owners and where no one cared for the animals anymore. They encountered appalling conditions of animals that had just been left chained by the people who fled.

Not only that, but they encountered animals on the street that were seriously were injured by the bombings and if they were not physically injured they were seriously traumatised by all the noise of the rockets. The chaos in the ruins of the towns and villages, the panic everywhere.

Perhaps also nice to mention that Marina, from the shelter 'Shelter Friend', despite all the threat of war and the fact that she herself takes in hundreds of dogs and cats in her shelter, went one step further to also empty a killing station in Ukraine … Well, a killing station … staffed by people who don't give a damn about animals … they just let them starve …

Marina, and later Tom, saved some of them. And we, from Dierennood, must now admit that we have never seen anything like it. We were completely stunned to see how those poor, poor animals were mistreated. Every animal in the killing station appeared to have received a large, hideous, degrading tattoo on the sensitive abdomen. I have to say, it took our breath away…

Anyway, the injured and traumatised animals were taken by Tom and Steve to the 'safe place' and further helped by vets and volunteers.

The number of followers on Social Media kept growing and requests for help from all over Ukraine kept coming in, sometimes hundreds a day! Every day, we had to weigh up who could be offered help that day and who could not… Having to make that choice every day is terrible, and soon the team agreed that they had to expand.

A new safe place was created in Romania to house both the animals and the volunteers. We do not disclose the exact location of 'the compound' and the shelter for security reasons. These people risk their lives day in and day out and sometimes operate only a few hundred meters from the front. Each mission is carefully planned and Tom puts the safety of his team first.

For the same reason, there is no separate Facebook page for the shelter. They – and we – ask for understanding for this.

Among all the rescued dogs and cats, there were even more special animals that needed help. For example, 9 lions from a zoo in Odessa or the special story of Bolik, the grizzly bear and Elsa, the wolf. Both were in captivity somewhere in the east of the country. Threatened by the war and both in a much too small enclosure, supposedly for entertainment. Armed with a grinder, the animals were freed from their horrible pen and after a long drive with a lot of attention on the way (after all, who drives around with a bear and a wolf in wartime?) Bolik and Elsa were taken to a reserve in Romania. TJ, the driver on duty, experienced at that moment, in his own words, one of the most beautiful moments of his life!

The above all sounds great, and it is, but it really took blood, sweat and tears and above all a lot of perseverance from everyone involved. The teams in the field have travelled tens of thousands of kilometres and have almost continuously pushed themselves both physically and mentally. Their vehicles break down almost weekly due to the bad roads in Ukraine.

The volunteers on site also work from early in the morning until late at night. The animals in their care are often animals that need immediate help because, for example, they have become paralysed by shelling or their house collapses, are severely malnourished, injured or seriously ill. Amputations are regularly needed and bullets are removed, so a lot of care is needed.

Good hygiene, but also quarantine of the animals that come in, is necessary. The volunteers, including a number of local Ukrainians, are doing a fantastic job. Most animals come in traumatised, but because of the unconditional love they receive from the volunteers. And because they live day and night with the dogs and cats, almost all of them turn into the most loving and affectionate animals after a few weeks. It is truly phenomenal to see what the team, vets, and volunteers achieve together. Regularly, everyone is crying because of the amazing results of all this hard work.

Oh, there is so much more to tell. About the chimpanzee Johnny who, despite his own hunger, gave Tom half his banana…

From another Johnny, the bullet-paralysed Stafford, who managed to reach the Ukrainian soldiers while crawling through no man's land. It took the team 9 hours to pick up Johnny, but he also showed his bravest side. He was fitted for a wheelchair and immediately accelerated. He now runs his rounds every day like crazy.

And let's not forget Phoenix. A limping husky-like dog with 3 bloodied legs, its coat full of mud, at the front of the city of Mykolaiv. The shelling continued day and night as images of Phoenix circulated on Facebook. Nevertheless, the team decided to get Phoenix and a number of other animals. Unfortunately, due to his injuries, Phoenix is ​​missing both back legs and three-quarters of his front leg. But look at him now: with a wheelchair and a prosthesis. He was dirty, neglected, seriously injured, abandoned, traumatised… And now Phoenix is ​​our hero!

This is what they do it for. In addition to the terrible things they unfortunately experience too often, they see that so many animals that were left without a chance, wandered traumatised or seriously injured and left for dead, flourish again by receiving the care, love and respect they deserve.

There are still daily challenges for the team. Now that the coverage of the war in Ukraine has decreased, the number of donations is also declining. With winter just around the corner, the biggest challenge is to deliver as much animal feed as possible to places in Ukraine where it is most needed.

Food is becoming more expensive every day in Ukraine and is scarce in many places. As much food as possible will therefore have to be collected from Europe. In order to distribute it before the harsh winter sets in and to provide as many animals as possible with a supply that will get them through the winter.

For example, when snow comes to lie on the often shot-up roads, it is dangerous to go on the road. And no matter how beautiful a winter landscape can be, when the whole world is white, movements of a transport are much easier to perceive, which reduces safety.

Landmines are also not visible, and there is a chance that large parts of the country will be cut off from the outside world. Feed and its transport are therefore very important at the moment and have priority. In addition, all costs for vehicles, transport, medication, veterinary costs and the care of the animals will continue.

There is no doubt that without the tremendous financial support of donors from all over the world, the team would never have been able to achieve the above. Every day, they are grateful for the support and support they receive. Without that help, many hundreds of animals would probably no longer be with us due to hunger or injury.

Unfortunately, the war is still going on, the end is not yet in sight. But interest in Ukraine is slowly ebbing away. The newspapers and the news report different news.

For Breaking the Chains, quitting is not an option. There are still countless animals in dire need and more are added every day of war.

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Please continue to support these great heroes for as long as it takes.

Every donation, even a small one, helps.

You can help these animals directly by transferring an amount to:

NL16 INGB 0004 7841 60 for. Stichting Dierennood o.v.v. 'Auxiliary project 162'

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