"He hates Russians like all of us": story of combat dog who saved Ukrainian defenders from Russian attack

Yahoo

3 days ago

A combat dog named Rick, raised among Ukrainian defenders, now serves alongside his owner in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On one occasion, Rick alerted his owner's brothers-in-arms of an incoming Russian bombardment, saving their lives.
Source: 41st Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian defence forces on Facebook
Details: The dog's owner – a serviceman who goes by the alias Zhaba (Toad) – was in Poland when the full-scale invasion began but decided to return to Ukraine and defend his country. Zhaba says he joined the military in late 2022.
In the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he serves as a driver and has at times assisted with the medical evacuation of Ukrainian defenders in the Serebrianka Forest in Donetsk Oblast.
A dog handler he knew gave the defender a three-month-old shepherd puppy named Rick. Since then, the loyal companion has stayed by Zhaba's side through intense battles in Donetsk and Sumy oblasts. They also took part in the Kursk operation together.
"I was driving the lads out, and he [Rick – ed.] was sitting in the basement with the guys, safe," Zhaba says.
Rick grew up around military personnel, so the sounds of bombardments are familiar to him. His owner says the dog can sense when rockets are launched and mortars are fired.
"He feels everything, knows everything. He hates the Russians, like all of us," shares Zhaba.
Once, in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, Rick saved his owner's comrades from an attack by a Russian Uragan multiple-launch rocket system. That day, the loyal dog sensed the danger early and warned the defenders.
"He just heard the whistle before our lads and barked. So everyone went down to the cellar. So he saved our brothers-in-arms," the dog owner shared.
Zhaba says that he now takes the pet less to carry out missions after he was targeted by a first-person view drone in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
"I said I wouldn't take him with me again and risk it. He is a friend, a brother-in-arms. Almost a son, but in a dog's likeness," Zhaba jokes.
Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukrainian National Guard officers from a K9 unit in Mykolaiv, located in Ukraine's south, had completed training in providing essential veterinary and medical care to service dogs.
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