When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine uprooted millions of people, it also imperiled countless animals. Pets were abandoned, shelters found themselves under fire, and the organizations trying to help faced a funding crisis.
One shelter that refused to give up is My Living Dogs, run for many years by Lyudmila Melnikova. The shelter’s situation changed dramatically when the Ukrainian military established a base nearby. Russian strikes targeting that base put her staff and animals in constant danger, forcing her to make the painful decision to relocate the entire facility. The new shelter is spacious and well-organized, but building it from scratch required resources she simply didn’t have.
That’s where Tigers in America came in. TIA had previously helped fund the transportation of big cats out of Sudan and lions out of a zoo in Odessa. When Gregg Tully of Animals Unbound brought My Living Dogs to their attention, TIA was ready to listen. Tully traveled to Ukraine to conduct an on-site inspection and came back with a clear recommendation.
In January 2026, TIA granted $5,580 to fund the construction of a surgical suite for the shelter’s new veterinary clinic. The grant covered the ceiling, walls, windows, and floor of the surgery room, along with electrical work and lighting. When Tully and fellow Animals Unbound board members visited Lyudmila in late February, she was visibly moved. “I cannot find words to express the importance of your support,” she wrote afterward.
The clinic will serve dogs, cats, and other animals with urgent medical needs, and will provide a critical location for spay and neuter surgeries in an area with no other veterinary facility nearby. Construction is still ongoing, and Lyudmila has been covering remaining costs out of pocket to keep the work moving forward. TIA remains the project’s largest donor.
In a war that has taken so much, this surgery room is a small but meaningful thing: a place where animals can be healed.
