Student Couldn’t Get Rescue Dog Approved to Fly But Refused to Leave Ukraine Without Him

Rishab Kaushik is a third-year software engineering student who was studying at the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics Engineering in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country. Rishab, who is from Dehradun, India, wanted to get out of the country and back home as soon as possible when he found out it wasn’t safe, but he faced numerous obstacles getting officials to allow his rescue dog, Malibu, to come along with him.

Rishab adopted the dog during his time in Ukraine to keep him company during his studies. He named the pup “Malibu,” which means “sweet.” But he never imagined that keeping the dog with him would ever become such an immense struggle, or that both their lives would be put in danger over the issue.

The young man’s family members, some of whom were in Ukraine with him, left when they were able. But Rishab refused to do so, knowing that his beloved Malibu would be alone and in harm’s way with no one to care for him.

Rishab is far from alone in his predicament. Many people, Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike, have been forced to make an unthinkable decision–stay in their country while it is torn to shreds around them and risk death, or escape into neighboring countries but leave their beloved pets behind, where they’re likely to perish or never be seen again.

Some European countries are relaxing their immigration restrictions due to the Russo-Ukrainian war and allowing animals to pass through to their countries along with their Ukrainian refugee owners. But not all have been lucky enough to get to bring their furry friends along.

But Rishab refused to give up, calling upon whoever he could to get the proper paperwork in order to allow Malibu to fly out of Ukraine. The government continued to demand paperwork from him that he was unable to obtain due to all the closures in Ukraine. He even posted a video online explaining what he had done to try to get the dog’s flight approved and petitioning anyone who would listen to help him.

“Even my dog is so stressed out about it,” said Rishab. “He’s really scared about all the bombings happening, and he’s crying all the time with all the bombings happening around.”

Check out Rishab’s plea for his dog’s safe return to India in the video below:

All he wanted was safety for himself and his beloved dog. And people responded to his heartfelt pleas. The video got lots of attention and eventually made its way to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA. PETA reached out to the Indian government, after which pet travel rules were made tempirarily more lenient to allow people like Rishab to be able to enter India with their pets.

“There was a lot of documentation in India, the procedure was long. But in war-like situations, they should’ve allowed their own citizens. So, I had put up the appeal. A memorandum had come recently which stated that pets and even strays are now being allowed without NOC,” Rishab said.

Rishab was able to flee Ukraine and seek refuge in his home country with Malibu by his side. We’re glad to see that this brave young man and his rescue dog are now safe and sound!

So many other people and animals still need our help to get out of harm’s way and to obtain the necessary supplies to live as refugees while they wait to be able to return to their war-torn home country.

GreaterGood is working hard to support our partners on the ground in providing food and supplies to people and pets as they flee Ukraine. You can help. Your generous donation will be a beacon of hope and a source of much-needed aid to those in desperate need.

Click here to support people and pets as they flee Ukraine.

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