What we're doing
All living beings deserve care and respect. Through education, advocacy, and hands-on action, we’re helping build a more compassionate culture for animals in Eastern Europe.
Instead of quick fixes, we focus on long-term change that transforms how animals are cared for and protected.
We’re committed to:
- Humanely managing dog and cat populations through spay-neuter programmes and initiatives to reduce abandonment.
- Promoting responsible pet guardianship and community involvement, including improved identification and registration systems.
- Preventing disease among stray and ‘owned’ animals with vaccinations.
- Advocating for animal-friendly legislation to reduce cruelty and neglect.
- Educating key groups – shelters, vets, police, lawyers, teachers, children, and more.
- Addressing the impact of war on animals and providing emergency aid in Ukraine.
- Supporting local shelters and NGOs with vital resources, expertise, and welfare projects.
Explore this section
We assist organisations
Sirius
Sirius is Ukraine’s largest shelter for homeless animals, with over 3,000 cats and dogs. They focus not just on rescue, but on long-term solutions – sterilising animals and helping them find loving, permanent homes. We’re supporting them with crucial medicines and food.
Dobrokit Cat Shelter
Dobrokit Cat Shelter rescues, treats, and rehomes cats from high-risk areas like the Donetsk and Kherson regions. Many private veterinarians refuse to treat stray cats due to the risk of scratching and biting. We provided a specialised handling cage to protect staff, along with essential complex vaccines to keep cats healthy.
ARK
We’ve provided humane catching equipment and other supplies for Animal Rescue Kharkiv, a heroic organisation that rescues animals from the war’s frontline. Read our moving interview with ARK’s incredible team.
Life Cherkasy
We work with non-profit Life Cherkasy on our educational programmes for children. They reached out for help with vehicle repairs, so we stepped in to get their mobile sterilisation clinic back on the road.
Antares
Antares is a volunteer group from Dnipro that trains dogs to find survivors and animals buried under rubble. The dogs’ paw pads could be injured, so we sourced and funded special dog boots, which must be regularly replaced due to the harsh conditions.
And now we’re supporting Ukraine’s rescued wildlife too!
Much of our previous work has focused on cats and dogs, but in 2026 we extended our support to include Bila Skelia, a wildlife sanctuary near Kyiv.
Many animals are taken from the wild or kept in captivity for entertainment or other cruel purposes. The lucky ones find safety at refuges like Bila Skelia, where they receive the care they need.
Recruiting World Animal Day ambassadors
As the coordinators of World Animal Day, we are proud to work with the movement’s 90+ global ambassadors, who are all improving welfare standards for animals around the world, including in Eastern Europe.
Natalie Sorokopud
In Ukraine, Natalie Sorokopud supports the work of ‘Together’ SPA. She is also Naturewatch Foundation’s Ukraine-based campaign coordinator for Eastern Europe and lends her knowledge and experience to collaborative animal welfare initiatives in the region.
Anastasia Kozlowski
In Moldova, Anastasia Kozlowski of Humane Society Moldova (HSM) serves as our World Animal Day representative. The organisation is dedicated to fostering compassion for animals and addressing cruelty. In 2022, the HSM team played a key role in our international animal welfare conference.
Dr. Claudiu Iosim
In Romania, Dr. Claudiu Iosim from Animed Arad has been involved in World Animal Day for many years. He works to reduce the number of unwanted puppies and kittens by running an effective spay/neuter programme. In 2020, Animed Arad was named a joint winner of the World Animal Day grant, which funded a vital sterilisation project.
Alexandra Sava
Also in Romania, we were pleased to welcome Alexandra Sava from Sava’s Safe Haven to the team. We awarded the shelter a World Animal Day grant in 2022 for its work in caring for stray and community animals in the poorest rural areas of south-eastern Romania.
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Want to get involved?
Our work in Eastern Europe is only possible thanks to people who care. By supporting our programmes, you can make a difference for cats and dogs in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.
Find out what you can do to help.
Together with our dedicated partners and kind supporters, we’re making real change for animals in Eastern Europe – working toward a future where dogs and cats are valued, protected, and treated with compassion.
Read more about what we’re doing
How you can help
There are lots of ways to help with our work, from making a donation through to holding fundraising events or even getting involved as a volunteer. Below, you can explore the different ways to help us continue raising standards for animals.
Share your story and photos to help us celebrate the powerful bond between people and their animals.
This simple step would reduce harm to wildlife. Help us deliver this message directly to retailers who can make a real difference.
UK wildlife is under threat, yet crimes against it are treated as minor offences. Urgent legal reform is needed.
Join us in telling your local MP why a change in law is vital to protect our wildlife.
Join us in asking the UK Government to finally end animal testing for all everyday household products.
Unethical extreme designer pet trends are pushing cats and kittens to the limit.
Join us in calling for extreme cat breeding to be banned across the UK.
Your support helps us protect wildlife and tackle cruelty. Every donation makes a real impact.
Take part in a way that works for you, whether volunteering, fundraising or donating items, and help create a kinder future for animals.
