On Saturday, April 25, the award ceremony for the winners of the seventh season of the International Award "My Affectionate and Helpful Animal" took place in Zelenogradsk at the Green Cat eco-site.
According to tradition, the honoring of the laureates began with the presentation of prizes to candidates chosen by internet users during a five-week marathon. The "People's Heroes" cups went to Dark, a furry member of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus — a Labrador credited with saving nine lives across the globe — and to Mother Arsenia, a nun from the Zadonsk Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery in the Lipetsk Region, who created the "Monastery Cats" charitable project.
In the "Responsible for those..." category, where 41 candidates from 30 Russian regions, as well as from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Transnistria, competed for victory, the jury named two winners at once.
First place was shared by Tatyana Gorodkova, a rural veterinarian from the Kemerovo Region. Over forty years of continuous service, she has saved thousands of cows, horses, dogs, and cats. Sharing the top spot are also the volunteers of the "Paw Patrol" (Shchenyachiy Patrul) squad from Kazan, who give a second chance at life to dogs and cats from the Special Military Operation zone.
Silver went to amateur fisherman Ilya Zaitsev from the Novosibirsk Region, who rescued a small herd of roe deer that had been doomed to death.
Third place was awarded to the volunteers of "Mehr va Oqibat" from Uzbekistan, who saved dozens of dogs from a slaughterhouse where their meat was being sold by animal abusers.
One of the award's most prestigious honors — the Prize of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the North-Western Federal District — was presented to Ekaterina Kudrina, a blind student from Rostov-on-Don. She has created several unique projects that help visually impaired people interact with guide dogs
The "For the benefit of others" cup was awarded to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, who rescued more than a thousand animals last year.
Additionally, a special award was presented to scientists from the Biomedical Engineering department at MISIS University in Moscow, who were the first in the world to create a biodegradable implant for animals.
In addition to the main prize winners, honorary diplomas of the "My Affectionate and Helpful Animal” International Award in the "Responsible for those..." category were awarded to: professional animal rights activists Marina Kim (Kazakhstan) and Alena Kirusheva (Komi Republic); volunteers from the rescue squads "Spasrezerv" (Moscow Region) and "Koshki Spas" (St. Petersburg); veterinarians from the the "Delfa" Dolphin Rescue Center (Krasnodar Krai); the authors of the unique project "Of the Same Blood" (Moscow); and the founders of the "Hare House" rescue center for mountain hares (Moscow Region).
Also recognized were young friends of our smaller brothers who performed noble deeds beyond their years: Arslan Zagitov (Bashkiria), Zhenya Chubutov (Stavropol), Ksenia, Polina, and Arseniy Barmin (Bashkiria), Imtital Abugalyun (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic), and students of the Eco-School with their "Pine Needles" (Yolki-igolki) project (Perm).
In the "Our Brothers" category, 27 candidates from 15 Russian regions, as well as from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Switzerland, Tanzania, and China, competed for the win.
By the unanimous decision of the judges, the season's laureate was the warrior dog Donbass, who shielded six soldiers with his own body during an enemy drone attack.
Silver honors were awarded to the already-named "People’s Hero," Belarusian rescuer Labrador Dark, and to the cat Vizha from Moscow, whose life story has become a saga of how a homeless stray from Donetsk can become a star of the capital stage.
Third-place diplomas were awarded to Renier, a Doberman from the Leningrad Region, who gave his life protecting his owner from an armed criminal, and to Pulya, a Laika-wolfdog mix from Rostov-on-Don, who repeatedly saved her owner and Russian soldiers on the front lines.
The "For the Benefit of Others" prize went to Ita, a Husky from Kaliningrad, who serves as a psychologist and canine therapist for stroke survivors, children, and veterans returning from the front.
A special award was presented to Dietrich, a pony from the Moscow Region, who brings joy and hope to seriously ill children and terminally ill patients.
Six more furry heroes — Belgian Shepherds Marta (Tambov Region) and Kali (Kaliningrad), mixed-breeds Kolbaska (St. Petersburg) and Butuz (Belgorod), Jack Russell Terrier Zhuzha (Murmansk), and Snowball the Labrador (Samara) — were awarded Honorary Diplomas of the "My affectionate and helpful animal” International Award for their truly heroic, human-like deeds.