Tasha a 12-year-old black Labrador, is set to be reunited with 86-year-old owner after they were separated when they fled the war in Ukraine six weeks ago.
Violetta from Odessa, escaped with her family when the war with Russia broke out and she was determined to take Tasha with her.
But Tasha - who in dogs years is also 86 - found the journey was too much for her and Violetta's efforts to carry her came to a tearful end and they were forced to separate in Romania.
Read more: How war dog Pulya carried to safety by love of her family as they fled Ukraine
Violetta agreed to have Tasha taken in by strangers in Romania in the hope they would fulfill their promise to reunite them.
And on Sunday, after six weeks apart, they are due to be together again.
Violetta’s family crossed multiple borders on their journey to safety and eventually arrived in Ireland as refugees where they were welcomed with open arms by the locals in Co Clare.
And although they were safe, Violetta's relief was coloured by the heartbreak of leaving her beloved Tasha behind.
After hearing their story, Dublin charity worker Debbie Deegan, who had helped Violetta’s family to get to Ireland, put in hours of work to make sure the two were reunited.
She managed to track down the Romanian family who were caring for Tasha and after being met with lots of red tape , it was the kindness of strangers that ensured the little Labrador got transported safely as far as England.
Debbie told the Irish Mirror that when she met Violetta at Dublin Airport, the grandmother could only speak about her dog, Tasha.
Debbie explained: “The family had come through Ukraine and they had come through Moldova. Violetta was quite stressed about the whole thing and by the time they got to Romania they weren’t able to manage the dog so they gave it to a Romanian family.
“It devastated her. She was broken-hearted. She told me Tasha was her best friend.”
Debbie had been put in touch with Violetta’s family by a Russian friend living in America.
He had asked Debbie to help the family as they struggled to cross the border into Romania and Debbie was able to step in due to her connections from her work as the founder of the To Children With Love charity.
The family, which included Violetta and her son and her daughter-in-law, travelled through Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Austria before eventually arriving in Ireland in early March.
Debbie said: “They got into Dublin airport and I went to meet them, and they basically had the clothes on their back.
“Violetta was upset because she had left her dog behind - it was all she could talk about.”
“I decided I would try and find Tasha with the help of her Ukrainian granddaughter, who flew in from America while they were here. We decided to try and find the dog to help Granny.
“So we made connections and found a family in Romania who had Tasha who were really good people and they had looked after this lovely pet.
“We contacted a travel company for help and it was a worry because we had to get her through four or five borders unaccompanied.
“But in fact they were very, very good. They were professional dog handlers. So we had to make sure Tasha’s passport was in date, all her rabies shots and her chip were in order.
“But then we could only get her as far as the UK so I didn’t know what I was going to do then.”
Debbie put out a message on a Ukrainian help site in the UK and was contacted by Lisa Kay, who offered to take care of Tasha until she was able to be transported to Ireland.
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.
Debbie explained: “My friend John D’Arcy, from Waterford, offered to go to England to collect Tasha.” said Debbie.
She said when John heard about the story of Tasha the black Lab, he couldn’t believe the uncanny resemblance she had with his own Lab Gertie and set about organising to go and pick her up.
The cost of his trip has been kindly covered by his friends in Co Waterford and he will travel with a companion by ferry to England on Saturday to collect Tasha.
Debbie said: “It’s not about money at all, it’s really about kindness and people like John and Lisa in England and the family in Romania. The kindness has just been extraordinary.”
That amazing six-week search is due to come to a conclusion today when Violetta and Tasha are finally reunited.
