1 A Heart-warming Reunion

UKRAINIAN GRANDMOTHER REUNITED WITH BELOVED DOG. .

by Persephone Kianka

Last year, Violetta, a native of Odea, attempted to bring her 13-year-old black Labrador, Tasha, with her while escaping the Ukraine war. When the pair reached Romania, Violetta was forced to leave her beloved pet behind because she couldn’t carry her any further.

Thankfully, a local family offered to take care of Tasha while the 86-year-old grandmother and her family continued their journey to Ireland. After finding refuge in Co. Clare, Violetta couldn’t bear the continued separation from her best friend but couldn’t return to Romania because her passport had expired.

That’s when charity worker Debbie Deegan, who had helped Violetta’s family thus far, stepped in and devised a plan to rescue Tasha.

“She was not coping well without Tasha. We contacted the family in Romania and then organised for a company to transport the Labrador across eight borders,” said Ms Deegan.

Miraculously, Tasha made it unaccompanied to England, where she stayed with a kindhearted woman, Lisa Kay, on a farm in Solihull for a week. Finally, Waterford man John D’Arcy travelled to England by ferry to collect