A bus driver has handed in his notice to embark on the biggest mission of his life, travelling to the Ukraine border to selflessly help refugees and abandoned dogs.
Dave Wise, 46, from East Sussex, will leave the UK today and drive his silver Ford Mondeo - which is packed full of generous donations from strangers - 5,000 miles to the Romania-Ukraine border.
His wife, Hannah Carter, 30, says their living room is so full of dog food, toiletries, clothing and blankets, they "can barely move".
The couple, who married in August and have been together for four years, both voluntarily run animal charity Paws and Whiskers Sussex (PAWS), and came up with the idea on a whim just a week and a half ago.
Talking to The Mirror, Dave said: "I'm not scared about driving down there - the only thing worrying me is leaving my wife at home. It's the first time we've been apart."
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His wife Hannah said: "I am so proud of him. I'm not surprised that he wants to do it. It's him all over - to think about other people before himself.
"He didn't ask for my permission but he did ask how I'd feel. I said I'd be worried for him but I'd never say no. I know it's something he needs to do."
Last Friday, Dave handed in his notice as a bus driver to embark on his quest. While he always planned to leave his job, he didn't anticipate it so soon or sudden.
"I tried to book some time off work and I couldn't, so I handed in my notice early. We are moving to Liverpool in a couple of weeks," Dave explained.
Hannah, who works as a full-time administrator alongside volunteering full-time at PAWS, thought about joining Dave but has too much work to do with the rescue.
"If I could go, I would definitely be sat in the passenger seat with a lap full of things," she said.
Dave's motivation to help Ukraine came after seeing the devastation in the news.
He has driven to Romania before to volunteer at an animal rescue and doesn't fear the journey, but is "apprehensive" about what's going to greet him at the border.
"We haven't told many people but our close family aren't surprised," he said.
"Everyone in our local community has been really nice. A local shop has done a massive collection for us and even taken some money out of their tip jar."
PAWS requested donations of children's nappies, warm clothing, feminine hygiene products, coats, and pet food and bedding, and Hannah organised drop-off points in Peacehaven, Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea.
Today, Dave is packing all of the donations into his car and will begin his 26-hour drive to Romania this evening.
He will spend two days at the border delivering his aid packages and is determined to help transport any stray dogs that he can while he is there.
Hannah has persuaded him to book one night in a hotel to "get a good night's sleep".
"We agreed we could spare £17 - I even upgraded from the £14 room so I could have my own bathroom," Dave chuckled.
The trip is costing approximately £1,000, including transport and petrol, which has kindly been funded by donations.
Hannah says it's currently "the calm before the storm" as she prepares to help support Dave from the UK.
Dave is taking a microchip scanner with him and will scan any stray dogs or cats he can find, then Hannah will search them up on the database and try to reunite them with their owners overseas.
If the animals aren't micro-chipped, Dave will take them to a Romanian rescue for any veterinary treatment they may need.
"We've spoke to a lot of families fleeing Ukraine with their pets. There's one dog in particular that we will help. Dave will be in Romania at the same time as them, so he might be able to bring their dog to the UK," Hannah said.
Dave planned to bring home 10 dogs and cats from a Romanian rescue shelter, but they won't have paperwork in time, so will be travelling over on March 18 instead.
The couple are taken aback by the "kindness and generosity of donations".
Hannah said: "It's been amazing. It's a shame it's taken a war for people to think of others and be selfless, but we really appreciate all of the support that we've had.
"It's not just been from people that follow our rescue but complete strangers too. It's heartwarming. Knowing we are in a position to help makes us really pleased."
You can keep up-to-date with Dave's travels on his Facebook page and donate to his quest on JustGiving.
Do you have a dog story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
