Hundreds of stray dogs rescued from Russia find homes in Finland

In the past two years, hundreds of stray dogs have been brought to Finland from Russia for adoption. The primary organization facilitating this is Viipurin koirat ry, through which over 650 homeless dogs have found homes in Finnish households by this autumn. Aino Arjas, the director of Viipurin koirat ry, emphasizes the importance of helping these dogs despite the Ukraine war and the closed eastern border of Finland. “We have long-term partners with whom we maintain good, functional relationships,” she explains.

The cooperation between Finland and Russia has been nearly severed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, dogs are transported from animal shelters near the Finnish border in Viipuri, Svetogorsk, and Kamennogorsk, using a Latvian transport vehicle that crosses through the Baltic region.

The closed border poses challenges. The journey from Belarus and the Baltic states to Helsinki takes over two days. Arjas hopes the border will at least be opened for cargo traffic, which would shorten the dogs’ journey and allow for visits to the shelters, a practice familiar to them before the border closure.

There is a growing demand in Finland for pets from Russia, with Viipurin koirat ry having also brought around twenty dogs to other organizations this year. According to Finland’s Food Authority, more dogs were imported from outside the EU in 2023, mainly from Russia.

In addition to finding homes for stray dogs, Viipurin koirat ry provides food and medical assistance to the animals, covering veterinary expenses for those awaiting homes in foster care. The organization is mainly funded through donations and sales of support products, with collected funds ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 euros in recent years.