Amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, it is not only civilians and soldiers who are suffering, but also animals in the affected regions who have been abandoned, injured or lost as a result of the chaos. Patron is not only a famed Instagram pet, he is also a trained mine-detection dog who has been scoring parts of Ukraine for “gifts” from Russia.
With over 334,000 followers on Instagram, the owners who run the social media account have reached out to fans to ask for support for both pets and wild animals who are suffering in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Patron celebrated his third birthday and in the celebratory post, a plea was made for donations to animal charity UAnimals.
The post featured two pictures of Patron, one of him in a red polka dot bow tie in front of a dog birthday cake and a grenade and the other of Patron tucking in to his birthday treat.
The caption read: “Today is my birthday. I am three years old and I am the happiest dog in the universe.
“I have a loving family, I have tons of toys, I help save people’s lives, and I have something to eat every day.
“And I also have you!..I know what you are thinking right now: ‘What kind of gift can I give to Patronus?’
“First, your smile. Just smile now. Thank you.
“Secondly, I want to ask you to help me raise funds for a huge bowl of food for dogs and cats who do not have a home yet: I would like to treat them in honour of my birthday.”
The post continued: “This is completely optional, only if you have the opportunity. I know that now every penny is not superfluous, so I will understand everything.
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“More than 250,000 hryvnias (£7,053) will fly to UAnimals for food for animals in shelters.”
Animals have been pictured in Ukraine with troops and civilians bringing some light to their lives as cats and dogs are taken in by soldiers and offer a level of comfort and joy.
UAnimals said: “During the war, we learned to be happy about the little things.
“Things that seemed mundane and familiar in peacetime are now valued as never before. Every day is given to us at the cost of the lives of our soldiers.
“So, let’s bring only good into the world, let’s take care of the defenceless and remember those thanks to whom we have today.”