PAWS OF HOPE w/Anton Shulke

ALLIÉ: Your journey began with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, a time of immense uncertainty and fear. Can you take us back to that moment? What inspired you to start a charity for cats and dogs amidst such chaos, and how did it evolve into what it is today?

ANTON: I have a cat, we picked her up from the street when she was about 2 months old. I did help some cat and dog shelters before the full-scale war started. Just small donations. I realized shelters, especially small ones (they are under the radar for big charities), rely 100% on donated money. When the war started, the number of abandoned animals increased, as many people just left and left them behind. Also, people had significantly less money and less money to donate. In the beginning, it was not systematic; I just wrote a few posts explaining the situation and asking for help. Sentiments were very high and plenty of people were open to donating. Today, I have a donation page where anyone can donate. We have an SEO conference running to raise awareness and funds. Also, at some point, I decided not to send small amounts of money to everyone, but concentrate on helping 5 shelters.

ALLIÉ: Caring for animals in a war-torn region must come with extraordinary challenges. Can you share a story that encapsulates both the hardships and the triumphs of your work?

ANTON: Many people may wonder where the animals in shelters come from. Most of them are city cats and dogs abandoned at summer cottages in the fall or left homeless after their owners passed away. However, because of the war, there’s now another group of animals in desperate need of help—those from active combat zones. These areas are often not just open fields but villages or cities. The owners of these animals may have died, fled, or simply never returned. Yet the animals still need food, water, a safe place to sleep, and, above all, they want to live.

Some of these animals are taken in by Ukrainian soldiers, but the military cannot care for all of them—war brings constant danger. Many animals need medical attention, and many are older or have survived trauma. Animal rescue volunteers evacuate these animals from war zones. Shelter owners take them in, treat them, nurse them back to health, warm them, and restore their trust in humans.

In one of the shelters I support, there are cats rescued from the Kherson region after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed. Volunteers literally picked these animals off the roofs of flooded homes. The shelter’s owner also helps an elderly woman care for 15 cats her late husband brought back from Siversk. Another shelter owner fled from Avdiivka herself. Without her own transportation, she managed to evacuate one or two cats at a time in passing vehicles, returning under fire again and again until all 40 of her cats were safely relocated.

There are so many stories like these. Their heroes are ordinary people whose only wealth and possessions are often their cats and dogs. These are people willing to share their last piece of bread and even risk their lives to save their four-legged friends.

ALLIÉ: Many see animals as silent witnesses to human suffering, yet your charity gives them a voice. How has working so closely with cats and dogs during this crisis changed your perspective on resilience, both theirs and your own?

ANTON: Just to make it clear. I personally don’t work with animals, I collect money and then send them to 5 particular shelters. I, of course, talk to people running these shelters. They are Saint People, seriously. All of these shelters are in private apartments or houses (2 in houses and 3 in apartments ) and when I say small, no mistakes, some of them have 100+ animals. When you have 100 cats, your shelter is a full-time job for you. It’s a non-paid job. At least none of the shelters are in combat zones; well, one was but was moved several times to reasonable safety. No shelling, but the war affects them in different ways. As I mentioned, less available money, inflation (prices rise faster than appreciation of a local currency), constant stream of evacuated animals from places where combat operations started… Many of the cats and dogs are from killed soldiers…

ALLIÉ: Balancing your personal and professional life while running a charity in such dire circumstances must be incredibly demanding. How has this mission shaped your own story and the way you see your role in the world?

ANTON: This charity is called #seocharity. The reason for that is my professional life. Every charity is based on trust. You won’t send money to someone you don’t trust whatever cause is declared. The fastest way to get this trust is to use trust you already have. Many SEO professionals know me personally, so I don’t need to prove 100% of the money goes to animal shelters. We have conferences, and there are sponsors there. The same idea I approach people/companies I personally know. This makes it easier, but makes the choice of sponsors limited.

Easier, but not easy. It has been 3 years, and it was a rollercoaster. This is not a project where you reach your goal and can live happily after. Cats and dogs need food every day. In the shelters with an aging population, veterinary expenses are a daily routine. So many times I regretted starting it, when I can´t get enough money, when I can´t help someone who needs animal food or medicine… Well, it is my daily routine… But sometimes when you get a message saying, “We only survive because of you,” I feel happy and cry. Of course, I have no illusions. They survive because many people ¨bought me a coffee¨. They donated, but that doesn´t make me less happy. Regarding my role in the world. I don't usually think in such philosophical terms:) You can't change the whole world, but if you can change the life of even one kitten, that's more than enough for me.

ALLIÉ: For those who want to help but feel powerless in the face of such overwhelming need, what would you say to inspire them to act—whether for animals or people—during times of crisis?

ANTON: I probably use the same motto. You can't change the whole world, but if you can change the life of even one kitten, that's more than enough for me. It could be kitten, or it could be something completely different. The idea is the same. Do what you can. It doesn´t matter how small it seems. Use the trust you already have.

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