An elderly Ukrainian woman broke down and burst into tears when her beloved dog was returned home after it went missing during an attack by Russian forces. The heartwarming reunion was captured on camera by a charity volunteer who helped to rescue the lost pet.
The lady can be heard sobbing "I love you" to the volunteer from the K9 Global Rescue group, as she rests her head on his neck in a warm embrace. He explains the small dog, named Jack, was "found running on the other side of the village" and his senior owner has been looking for him for an entire month.
The footage begins by showing Jack in one of the cages on the van, while his excited owner repeatedly calls his name.
"We found Jack and we've come to find out if we've found Jack's owner," the volunteer explains, as he lets the dog out.
Jack is greeted with huge cuddles from his family while his owner shares her appreciation for the charity's team.
She can be heard excitedly speaking and then breaks down into tears, shaking her head in disbelief.
Then she leans on the volunteer's shoulder and affectionately exclaims: "I love you, I love you."
"The explosions came in and he ran, he took off. He's super skinny. We found him running on the other side of the village," the volunteer explains.
"She's been looking for this dog for close to a month," the volunteer says, meanwhile the family take it in turns hugging the Ukrainian soldier.
As the elderly woman embraces Jack for a hug, the man concludes: "This is why we do what we do."
The animal welfare group were handing out pet food and rounding up lost animals in Ukraine when Jack was returned home.
One volunteer explained how the unexpected reunion took place.
"As I showed her the animals up front she was saying that there were many lost animals in the village just wandering around who had lost their homes," they said.
"When I opened up the back doors, she gasped, took a step back, and said 'JACK??'
"She went back into the house to go get the older lady and bring her outside to see the dogs.
"When the old lady saw him, she started welling up."
Jack is among thousands of distressed pets that were separated from their families during the Russian attacks - but now, he is one of the lucky dogs that has been returned home.
K9 Global Rescue said: "Although we had never met and spoke two completely different languages, it was clear that we fully understood each other.
"Knowing that we were able to bring a lost soul home to their family is so gratifying."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
