Stories from the Field – Ukraine, 2025

During traumatic periods in our lives, pets can often provide comfort and support. At a recent Mobile Medical Clinic in southeastern Ukraine, Global Care Force volunteer Dr. Gail Hacker met a woman who came to the clinic with a small, crippled dog trailing closely behind.

The woman explained that the dog wasn’t technically hers. He had shown up at her door one day, injured, his right leg completely unusable—likely broken. With no veterinarians nearby, nor the financial means to help the dog, she took him in anyway. She couldn’t turn him away in his time of need. In the months that followed, she and the dog became inseparable.

“She told me that they keep each other going,” Dr. Hacker recalled. “They’re each other’s support system in the midst of so much loss.”

Dr. Hacker noted that like so many Ukrainians our volunteers serve, this woman has endured unimaginable trauma. She spoke of loved ones lost, the destruction of her home, and life under occupation.

Her story is not unique. In every village, we meet people carrying the heavy weight of war—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

But amid the pain, there is resilience. A kind woman who opens her heart to an injured stray. A little dog who never leaves her side. A quiet moment of connection in a mobile clinic.

Our volunteers don’t just offer medical care. Many are trauma care counselors who specialize in helping individuals who’ve experienced traumatic events, giving them a safe space to tell their story and help them find a way to heal.

You can be part of this healing.
Volunteer with Global Care Force and serve those who need to know they’re not alone.