San Diego Humane Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have partnered to make it possible for Ukrainian refugees crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to bring their pets with them. San Diego Humane Society has transported the first dog from Ukraine across the border at San Ysidro, and humane officers are on-call to transfer more dogs as needed.
The dog was taken to San Diego Humane Society late on Saturday, April 30. The next day, San Diego Humane Society’s veterinary team performed an exam on the dog and administered vaccines and flea medication.

Overall, the dog is in good health. She will now be cared for at San Diego Humane Society’s Behavior Center for enrichment and socialization, while on a 28-day rabies quarantine before she can be reunited with her family.
“Pets are family, and families should never be forced apart,” said San Diego Humane Society president and CEO Gary Weitzman, DVM. “As soon as the war broke out in Ukraine, we began looking for ways to support people with pets and the animals left behind by this tragedy.

“When we heard that Ukrainian pets were getting stopped at the border – right in our own backyard – we immediately wanted to help. Our goal is to get these animals safely across the border and back to their families as quickly as possible. We’ll do whatever we can to help the animals and people impacted by this tragic crisis.”
This effort to support Ukrainian refugees entering the U.S. comes a month after Weitzman deployed with Greater Good Charities (https://greatergood.org) to Poland on a mission to provide veterinary care and help the International Fund for Animal Welfare (www.ifaw.org) set up a border crossing veterinary clinic to support pets impacted by the war in Ukraine.

San Diego Humane Society will continue to work with the CDC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to transport and quarantine Ukrainian pets as needed. To learn more, visit sdhumane.org.