Sochi Dogs is a trailblazing nonprofit organization committed to rescuing stray dogs through education, adoption, and spay/neuter programs.
Plusha was lost in the street in Sochi. Mitya was a heart-worm positive senior depressed after losing his family in Ukraine… today they share a last name and live their best life with a loving family in PA!
Stories like this are what Sochi Dogs is all about. Thank you so much to our rescue partners, flight volunteers, and donors who make these happily-ever-afters possible!
Mitya is in the shelter in Ukraine
Plusha is a street dog in Sochi
At home in PA
Gosha, Givi, Gary, and a few other dogs were living among apartment buildings on the outskirts of Moscow. They had folks who fed them, gave them pets, and let them lounge in the grass until one day a complaint came in. Authorities were called and a warning was put out — if the dogs didn't go they'd be poisoned. Our UK friends, LAPA, learned about the situation and stepped in to take some of the smaller dogs but didn't have room for Gosha, Givi, and Gary.
They posted on Facebook asking for help just as Sochi Dog Director, Tanya had been scrolling through her feed. She jumped into action, contacting our partners in Moscow who quickly came to pick up the three brothers to take them to a shelter. Unlike many other K-9 families, it was clear that the three brothers were attached. When one would leave for a walk or the vet the other two would get stressed and then greet him with kisses when he came back.
The shelter wouldn't be their final stop, since Sochi Dogs took on their rescue we vouched to find homes for them. After several months of waiting for vaccines and paperwork, the day finally came for them to go home.
Gosha was the first to fly out. He settled in beautifully with a family in Asbury Park, NJ who had another Sochi dog and the two became fast friends. He was such a great dog that a month later a family member adopted his brother Givi. Can you imagine the look in their eyes when they first saw each other half a world away!? Now every time the families get together Givi can't stop kissing Gosha!
Gosha and Givi on a walk in Asbury Park, NJ
Gary is the last brother and he is due to arrive on April 17! We are looking for his forever humans and happily ever after.
Read more about him and fill out an application.
A huge thank you to Pilot Joe for helping Bouncy complete her journey home!
Rescued in Ukraine, Bouncy was accompanied by a flight volunteer to West Virginia earlier this month where a wonderful foster family welcomed her in. Adopters Ben and Sarah learned about Sochi Dogs from their friends who adopted a dog in 2020. When they saw Bouncy on the website it was love at first sight! To bring everyone together, we asked Pilots'n'Paws for help! Pilot Joe responded and just like that Bouncy made it to her forever home Rhode Island.
We kicked the new year off with a bang – our rescues from the Dnipro Shelter arrived in the US. Getting them here was no easy task. First, three volunteers with four dogs took a 20 hour train ride from Dnipro to Chelm Poland. The dogs were terrific passengers. On the train they looked out the window, said hello to fellow passengers, snacked, and of course, napped. Marly, the wisest of the crew, hopped up on the top bunk with the help of one of the volunteers and took in the scene from there.
Once they arrived in Chelm they were greeted by Anna and Josh from the Sochi Dogs team. They said good-bye (and thank you!) to the rescue team from Dnipro, went for a short stroll, and with no time to lose, got into the rental car for the next leg of the journey. The next three hours would be spent driving to a boarding facility in Warsaw. It was dark and with nothing to see out the window, everyone snoozed in the back seat. By the time they got to Warsaw it was close to 10 PM, everyone got a late dinner and settled in for the next couple days.
Since each flight only allows only a limited number of dogs, the group had to split up. Lemon and Marly flew with Josh, spending only a day in Warsaw, while Darcy and Arie hung back to fly the following day with Anna.
Obviously, when each group arrived at the airport early in the morning they were seasoned travelers. They mostly sat quietly in their crates waiting for the attendants to check them in, except for Darcy, she was upset to be in a crate when there were so many people around who could potentially give her pets and treats. After check-in they went through security and then on to the plane!
The Sochi Dogs team collected them in New Jersey where Lemon and Darcy already had family anxiously waiting for their arrival, while Marly and Arie settled into foster homes until their perfect match came along.
