The nomination "Our Brothers": a dog wounded in a special military operation served as an example of perseverance, survival and loyalty to people.
The story of the paralyzed dog from Belgorod thundered throughout the country in the spring of 2025. The dog was found by volunteers in an abandoned village in the Belgorod region. He lived with the military and was severely injured during one of the attacks, Fontanka writes. Butuz underwent surgery, most of the fragments were removed from his spine, and his hind leg was reassembled.
But, unfortunately, not all the fragments could be removed, and the dog remained half paralyzed. There were no suitable conditions for keeping a spinal dog in Belgorod, so the volunteers agreed with the St. Petersburg shelter, which agreed to take Butuz to itself.
But the journey almost turned into an even greater tragedy for the dog. Already because of human indifference and cynicism. They bought Butuz a train ticket, issued all the necessary documents, but the tailed passenger was not allowed there. The guide, according to volunteer Marina, suspected that the animal might be contagious.
"His hind legs can't walk, but he can move his front legs. He is perfectly adapted to people, he is very affectionate, he does not touch anyone. You don't have to do anything with him - not to feed him, not to change the oilcloths. I only gave him a couple of drinks from a syringe, because he was wearing a collar according to the doctor, the collar prevents him from drinking from the bowl," said volunteer Marina.
Even after the volunteers found an escort for the dog, the dog's guides still refused to let him on the train. And then the employees of the railway station entered the situation. The ticket office offered to change the ticket and put the furry passenger on the next train, where another conductor agreed to accompany Butuz to the northern capital.
In St. Petersburg, a disabled dog was taken by volunteers from the animal welfare fund "We are Together". And when the story of the unfortunate dog received widespread media coverage, a miracle happened. While Butuz was undergoing surgery at the veterinary clinic, he did not yet know that his story was a story with a happy ending.
"Butuz was taken from the clinic by a man, Sergey, he is a member of his military, he was injured there. Sergey found volunteers on his own, waited for the dog's treatment to end, and then took him home," said Yulia Klafton, head of the charity foundation.
Sergey himself does not like to talk much about himself, he asks not to give his last name. He came from the Rostov region to meet Butuz, because Sergei lives in the city of Shakhty.
"I watched a story on TV about how the dog was not allowed on the train and then how he was brought to St. Petersburg. I saw Butuz's eyes and I knew I was going to take him in. I understand this dog, he is disabled, and I also returned from my home area after a serious injury," said Butuz's new owner, Sergey.
He came to St. Petersburg with his brother to help him pick up the dog and take it home to the Rostov region. Sergey bought the compartment so that no one could prevent the moving of the spinal dog.
And Butuz thanked his master with interest. According to Sergey, the dog has become a new meaning of life for him, makes him move a lot, lead an active lifestyle, because a disabled person needs special care. Sergei even admits that he has fewer and fewer post-war nightmares next to his faithful friend. And not so long ago, he also got a kitten, which no one is bored with now. Especially Butuz.
"Butuz uses a special wheelchair. The back legs don't work. Otherwise, it's an ordinary dog, it reaches out to people, it's cheerful, it plays. He's like a little crocodile, he eats everything and a lot," says the owner.
Dog Butuz went through a difficult path, he had a life in military conditions, injuries, operations, human intolerance. But all the same, he remained a dog who knows how to enjoy life, give his endless love and gratitude to people. As his master says about Butuz, he is the most ordinary dog who loves to live very, very much.
Photos from the personal archive of the owner of Butuz Sergey and Фонтанка.ру