The war does not ask if dogs are apolitical … – world cynology during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

On February 24, Russian troops, on the orders of Vladimir Putin, attacked the sovereign and independent country of Europe – Ukraine. All Poland is looking with tears in eyes and with fear at the unimaginable harm that is happening on Ukrainian land. War is not a politics. The war left its mark on everything that is known for us – also on the world of cynology.

Should dogs be political?

On the first day of the war, we in Poland just couldn’t believe what had happened. I was personally friends with the Russian from whom I bought my Titano. Among my friends on Facebook there were many Russian breeders, including famous ones in the world of cynology, constantly shining at international dog shows.

When I heard about proposal of suspend the Russian canine federation – RKF – in the FCI for the first time, I was confused. Cause it’s mean break the cooperation with them, block the import and export of dogs, block their judges and exhibitors. It seemed to me that “the Russians certainly do not support the war, it is Putin who decides for them and intimidates them” – how naive I was!
Initially, some Russians diplomatically inserted “dove of peace” in their profile pictures on Facebook, and in private conversations they were very careful.
Elena assured me that she had contact with Ukrainian breeders and that nothing bad was happening there. She said “take it easy, Russian troops will never attack civilians. It’s just a military action, it will be okay, don’t be afraid.” Elena was like my beloved aunt, she has beautiful dogs and I had perfect contact with her – in a word, I wanted to believe that this would be the case.

Unfortunately, the following days of the war showed that it is not just a conflict and not just a war – Putin’s actions in Ukraine are the greatest humanitarian catastrophe and a series of cruel, inhuman war crimes in modern Europe! Shock, disbelief that this is happening in 21st century Europe and growing anger …
And we not so long ago just debated whether breeding dogs with too short nose is humane …

Russian propaganda is a masterpiece of manipulation and brainwashing

When Russian troops attacked the civilian population and began slaughtering innocent people, murdering Ukrainian women and children … the silence of the Russians became unbearable. These, in turn, instead of expressing even a little empathy for Ukraine, started to put Russian flags on theirs profile photos on Facebook. All the Russian breeders I know – without exception! – issued statements which, in short, spoke of their patriotism, indignation that anyone dared to criticize their (fascist!) leader Putin, and in summary they ordered Ukrainian breeders to “watch their words”.

Even Russian women living outside Russia for years, married to Spaniards and Italians, wrote the same think!

That’s the last straw! I showed them videos from Ukraine, asking if they saw the same thing – they replied that yes, the saw the same, adding that all we see is fake news.
While debating fervently with them, I understood that the scale of the Russian propaganda is something we absolutely do not imagine.
These are not only distorted news, as in Poland during the Stalinist commune, of which most Poles just laughted. This is a distorted education, a completely different history of Europe and the world, and (or perhaps most of all) instilled huge fear of NATO and the West.
The very fact that the Russians do not call the war a war, but a “special operation in Ukraine” gives a lot to understand.

The Russians, in private discussion FB groups, show themselves maps on which they are allegedly cornered by NATO. They are convinced that the West is waiting for their country and that only Putin can save them.
But the fact is, they are not isolated from information – and from the accounts of Ukrainian women who have a family in Russia, I know that even the Russian part of their family categorically refuses to accept news from Ukraine about the murder of civilians, women and children …
Ukrainians call them zombies – which perfectly reflects the nature of the Russians.

The masks fell off and we saw the face of the monster

Garii Kasparov, paraphrasing the words of Winston Churchill, said that Europe fed the crocodile like Putin, in the hope that it would be eaten last.
This was probably the case with regard to Europe’s policy towards Russia, which could be called “stroking the head”.
But what shocks me personally the most is that the Russians have pretended for so long time perfectly civilized, world people – mentally completely equal to us. I still have a picture of the last ATIBOX in front of my eyes, with the Russian breeder and her dogs – including the dog sold to Ukrainian kennel, the well-known in Poland Sat’elit Gladiator. In the common photo, both a Russian and a Ukrainian woman were standing arm to arm next to the dog.
Today, when the war is going on, the Russian woman has only bothered to write an essay on her Facebook page about how she is “proud of her country”, that she “not to judge who is guilty of the war”, and that “the war will end one day and people who criticized the Russians in a war situation will not be able to return among their friends. ” How will you comment on that? What are you feeling? Exactly.

Our apolitical friendships have expired. And I really don’t know what should be done to make the Russians’ eyes open. I do not believe that they are all bad, I hope they are just being fed a lie from their childhood.
Nevertheless, it is not a lie that pales in the face of the truth. And this is a huge problem for Europe and the whole world.

Who is who

The masks began to fall off. We begin to see with amazement who is who in 21st Europe. The Germans – FCI judge and some breeders – publicly only worry about “losing their friendship with Russia“. While we cry over the morning news from Ukraine, they post photos from Moscow dog shows where they cuddle with Russians, praising Russian hospitality and cynology.

Really the person who judges dogs all over Europe, who judged me with my dogs in the ring (!), The only thing he has to say about the war and murder of the Ukrainian population is that “no war will destroy the German-Russian friendship” …? !
Comment it yourself, because I have no censorship words.

Apart from Poles, the breeders of Romania, Croatia, of course Norway and Sweden behave beautifully, the Portuguese are surprisingly aware (surprisingly, because it is a country that is quite far away in terms of geography). The others are silent for now, but I hope they will take the voice over time.

Not only Russians can threaten with losing their friendship.
Cynology is apolitical, but war is not a politics.
Politicians are debating at the table, not bombing orphanages and maternity hospitals!
What is happening in Ukraine, how people and animals are suffering, cannot be left unsaid. I cannot imagine a situation when, for example, two years after the end of the war, the Russians will continue to happily dog showing, judged by German judges, toghether shine in photos on Facebook, while Ukraine will be in ruin. I also cannot imagine standing with a smile on my face next to people who now publicly show their indifference to the barbarity of the pseudo-civilized Russian people.

Ukrainians – a nation that truly loves animals

There are a lot of photos on the Internet of Ukrainian refugees who have left all their belongings and are walking with their family, children and their dogs and cats .

It is touching that even when faced with death, these people do not leave their pets behind. Although this is an obvious logistical problem. Carriers often refuse to transport them because of the animal, and it is also more difficult to find accommodation.

The huge aid movement was activated on the first day by Polish breeders. In the group “Cynologists to Cynologists in Ukraine”, the activists organize the safe transport of whole kennels to Poland.

And to point out that – safe. I am horrified at the thought of how many animals during this war will either go missing or be stolen while fleeing the country. It’s already happening! As someone on the network aptly commented, “during the war, good people help, and the bad ones get even worse.” We have brave people who are able to take in a family with a dog (sometimes several!), and in the other hand we have also ordinary cemetery hyenas, trying to sneak for themselves purebred dogs.
It is horrible and it breaks my heart to know that such things are happening right now!

It’s worth to help

Some people in Poland debate whether it is worth helping Ukraine.
Because “during World War II, no one helped us“, because “Wołyń“(Volhynian crimes – our very sad history with ukrainian people), or because “what if we pay dearly for it” ( they’re afraid Putin agression)?

Let me put it this way – when I was working in Germany, I met Germans who, when I was told that I am Polish, apologized me for the past. Each time I was confused, because I do not hide any grudges, after all, I was not in the world then. In turn, those who could forgive are no longer with us.
Such tea after dinner.

There will still be time to discuss the Volhynian crimes. Perhaps we will even hear “I’m sorry“, although it will not change anything.

One thing I know for sure – we people of Poland, who are descendants of those people abandoned, to fend for themselves for the Nazi slaughter in ’39, and then sold for a truce to Stalin – we will never forgive ourselves if we will just watch on the slaughter of Ukrainians and we will do nothything with that cruelty. Lets help, regardless of the price.

Putin doesn’t need any specific reason to attack the rest of Europe anyway, we all know it perfectly well …
Civilized people for whom it was immoral to breed brachycephalic dogs or kill poultry CANNOT watch in silece as one backward man with an army murders people, here in Europe, in the 21st century!

One of the Ukrainian politicians summed up what was happening very nicely with the words “Ukraine lost its older brother, which was Russia, but gained a sister, which is Poland.”

And for me personally, the clearest sign that it is worth helping and that good will come back to us with redoubled strength are the words of the Ukrainian woman, who flee to Poland with her son : “My son will always remember who wanted to kill him and who saved his life” – and does anyone still have doubts whether it is worth …?

What will happen to the russian cynology?

Time will tell. So far, the RKF is rightly removed from the world’s cynology. I hope that the sanctions will be long and severe, because for now – russian breeders are mocking what is happening and as they themselves claim “the world will cry for us” and not they will.

What about dogs that were previously imported to Poland? Well … there are those who believe that since my Titan was purchased from St. Petersburg, I should hide him and never show to anyone again.

No Dear Friends – Titan is a beautiful boxer, bought by me from a russian at a time when the scenario that is currently taking place in Europe at now, then has not even crossed my mind.

What’s more, it is a dog whose ancestors are mainly Spanish, Portuguese and Italian dogs, there are also Hungarian and German dogs, and his grandmother is a female from UKRAINIAN kennel.

Also, yes – dogs are apolitical.
What’s more – dogs are absolutely international and their pedigrees sparkle with all the colors of the flags of the nationality of their ancestors.

But the cynology itself is not only about dogs – it’s also the people who breed them.
And these, in turn, are very political, especially in the face of the ongoing war …

#SlavaUkraini #stopwar #Titan