A Ukrainian grandmother named Violetta had been heartbroken when she had to leave her 12-year-old Labrador retriever behind after fleeing from Odessa as the unprovoked war by Russia forced her to separate from her dog – her “best friend”- Tasha in Romania.
According to the Irish Mirror, Violetta, 86, tried her best to bring Tasha with her and was devastated when the dog could no longer be carried across multiple borders. But all angels don’t necessarily have wings and wear gossamer capes – this angel happened to be Debbie Deegan, an Irishwoman, who coordinated complicated efforts encompassing nearly 2,000 miles, seven borders and a 12-day journey to reunite two best friends – a woman and her dog.
It had been three weeks prior when Debbie received a phone call about helping a Ukrainian family to get out of the country. The family consisted of a grandmother, her son and his wife and the aging black Labrador retriever named Tasha. Unfortunately the family had been stuck at the border because the grandmother had never left the country to travel and didn’t possess a passport.
The family’s trip to safety therefore had been grueling, and the grandmother had become so tired, she had practically given up her will to live. At that point her son and daughter-in-law had to carry her. And it was at this time, the difficult decision to leave Tasha behind had to have been made. They were fortunate enough, however to have found a family in Romania who would care for the dog. And so the Ukrainian family, except for Tasha, flew to Dublin; 12 days later they were all safe.
Debbie met the family at the airport, and despite being exhausted, Violetta was unable to hide her distress as having to have left Tasha behind; Debbie was heartbroken for the woman, and when the family left for a hotel in the West of Ireland, Debbie stayed in touch.
Everyday Violetta cried, and with the conviction of an angel and a dog lover, Debbie understood and became determined to find Tasha and reunite the dog with her owner.
Tasha’s papers including her vaccination certificates and legal papers were established, a dog moving company in Romania was secured and Debbie posted on Facebook asking for a volunteer to care for Tasha once she arrived in the United Kingdom.
Tasha was looked after at Lisa’s beautiful farm near Birmingham in the Midlands, but was due to be collected on Saturday by another friend of Debbie, to begin the last legs of the journey to be with her owner, Violetta. My friend John D’Arcy, from Waterford, offered to go to England to collect Tasha. …The kindness has just been extraordinary.”
Debbie as told to Belfast Live
The reunion has been extremely emotional, but what a beautiful event.
And this:
And here is Tasha and Violetta’s angel – Debbie Deegan.
(All photos posted with permission from Debbie Deegan and Twitter @debbiedeegan1)
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