A Dungarvan woman who helped to reunite an 86-year-old Ukrainian refugee with her beloved dog, says it was hugely emotional.
Sar'anne Walsh drove to England on Friday, alongside Stradbally man, John D'Arcy, to pick up Tasha and bring her back to her owner, Violetta in Ireland.
Violetta, had fled the Ukrainian city of Odessa, carrying her 13-year-old pet and after an incredible journey - including sleeping in a field in a snow storm - she found she could take her dog no further than Romania.
Irish charity worker, Debbie Deegan had organised for Violetta and her daughter and son-in-law to come to Ireland, but they were not permitted to take the dog on the flight.
At one stage, it was even suggested that Tasha may have to be put to sleep but thankfully, a Romanian family offered to take her in.
Having to leave the dog behind in Ukraine
Sar'anne says leaving the dog behind broke Violetta's heart:
"Violetta, her whole health was being affected and all she spoke about was having abandoned her baby. This was upsetting everybody including Debbie, who had organised to bring them over.
"So, Debbie started using all her contacts and managed to get the dog found, which was incredible. And then she organised for transportation as far as England.
"That's when she contacted John D'Arcy who would be a mutual friend of ours. John loves animals but he wouldn't have as much experience so he got me on board!"
The pair set off on a late ferry on Friday night and on Saturday they drove to Birmingham where they found Tasha.
Reunited
On Sunday, the big occasion arrived and Violetta and Tasha were together once again.
Sar'anne says the woman was beside herself:
"She was utterly blown away by what everybody has done. What she said was so touching... she had a wonderful interpreter and Violetta was saying when she saw Tasha, she was apologising for having abandoned her, telling her she had no choice.
"And because, unfortunately, Violetta had had a minor stroke last Sunday night (last week), she hadn't been well at all.
"She turned around and she said
This is my medicine. I don't need anything else. I will be fine now.
And it was just as important a reunion for Tasha it sees, as Sar'anne says the dog's behaviour changed as they drew closer to Ballyvaughan, where Violetta is staying:
"We had picked up Tasha in England and she was quiet and she was holding herself back. Terriers are full of personality.
"Now, she's very strong and she's a very healthy dog but she was kind of holding herself back, you could tell.
"God help her, she'd been through so much in the last few weeks. The last stop we made on the way to Ballyvaughan, her demeanor changed entirely.
"It's like she knew. All of a sudden the ears were up, she was very alert, she was looking around. She knew.
"And then when she saw Violetta, it was just incredible. It was magic."
Faith restored in humanity
The entire upheaval has taken its toll on Violetta, both mentally and physically. However, it seems this act of kindness by so many people has helped to restore her faith in humanity.
"Violetta lived her entire life in Odesa," explaind Sar'anne'. "She has a PhD in Biology - she's a clever lady. But I suppose her faith in humanity was absolutely shattered by what happened to her country and is continuing to happen in her country.
"And then for all these people - because I'm just riding on shirt-tails here - there are so many people involved in this, who went out of their way to help her.
"It's really after making her really believe that humans can kind."
You can listen here to the full report on Deise Today.
Meanwhile, the Government has been told to pay for the refurbishment of privately-owned vacant homes in order to meet the urgent housing need for thousands of arriving Ukrainian refugees. More here.
