A British bus driver who left his job to selflessly help Ukrainian refugees and their pets fleeing war has shared his experiences at the border - both the incredible moments and the most heartbreaking. When Russia launched an invasion on Ukraine last February, Dave Wise made the decision to hand in his notice and embark on the biggest mission of his life.
The 46-year-old filled his silver Ford Mondeo with generous donations from strangers and drove 26 hours from East Sussex to the Romania-Ukraine border. Dave and his wife Hannah, 30, who voluntarily run animal charity Paws and Whiskers Sussex (PAWS) came up with the idea after seeing the devastation in the news.
On March 10, Dave took his first 5,000-mile trip with a car full of children's nappies, warm clothing, blankets, coats, pet food and bedding.
"The staff receiving the donations were very grateful and thankful for our help," Dave told the Mirror.
"I didn't see many Ukrainian refugees at the border as they were mainly within a compound.
"The few I did see were worried as there had been rumours of human trafficking. I tried to offer an elderly lady a lift, but she was too scared to come out of the tent."
Dave returned to the border on March 24 with two PAWS supporters, Alec and Shelley, in a rented van filled to the brim with donations once again.
The trio supplied aid in Tulcea, Romania, and to the Hungarian border, and also saved the life of an injured stray dog on the roadside who needed emergency care.
In early April, Dave went back to Ukraine for the third time and took Hannah with him, as well as 1,000kg of donated cat and dog food in a borrowed van.
Though the pair faced numerous hurdles on their journey, including a SIM card that didn't work and left them "completely alone" abroad without signal for calls, texts or data to access maps.
"With our sat nav battery draining, we stopped at a garage in Ismail near the Romania-Ukraine border," Hannah explained.
"Despite everything their country was going through, the staff repaired the van's charger and refused to accept any payment.
"They even arranged a police escort to take us to our first delivery point. Their kindness still amazes us almost a year on."
Dave and Hannah planned to transport the donated pet food to the city of Odessa, but it was hit by airstrikes while they were nearby.
Hannah recalled seeing the smoke clouds wafting in the air as they made the difficult decision to deliver everything to a shelter in Izmail instead.
Sharing the reality of working on the border, Hannah said: "In the news, you see aid runners in full military gear - camouflage clothing, helmets, bullet-proof vests and cameras to record their journey.
"It's only a few who have these resources. Us and every other van we saw were just normal people with no protection."
The couple were unable to return with abandoned dogs, but since the eight-month ban on import of rescue animals has been lifted, the charity has received their first group of strays this week.
These animals will remain under assessment for a fortnight before being advertised for adoption in the UK.
"Sadly, the cost of living crisis in the UK has prevented us from assisting in Ukraine further," Hannah explained.
"We were inundated with pets being given up by families who could no longer afford them and had no spare funds for any further aid. Our donations also slowed down."
To tackle the rehoming crisis on their doorstep, Hannah recently set up PAWS Pet Pantry, a pet food bank to support British families struggling to feed their dogs.
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