29.05.2007 — 28.10.2019
Frosya is the dog with whom everything began. Her life connected Kryvyi Rih and Zurich and gave the organization its name.
The English and German versions are translation drafts awaiting owner review.
29.05.2007
Frosya is born in Kryvyi Rih
≈ 1 year
The move from Ukraine to Switzerland
7 years
A grave illness — and recovery
28.10.2019
Frosya passes away at 12.5 years old
2019
Her portrait crowns the first “Puppy” playground
When we took Frosya into our family, we had no idea how much she would change our understanding of animals and reveal their deep essence.
At first my husband did not like my idea of getting a dog at all: he was used to cats and had never had a dog — four cats lived with him at the time. But I really wanted a small dog, and one from Ukraine. And since I always reach my dreams and goals — Frosya joined us after all. She was born, like me, in Kryvyi Rih.
After all the vaccinations and the necessary papers, I brought her over from Ukraine at about one year old.
For the first two weeks my husband kept his distance: it seemed to him she was stressing his cats, who had never seen a dog before.
But gradually he began to spend more and more time with her and take her for walks. And Frosya opened up to him not simply as an animal, but as a creature with a soul and a character of her own.
She had her own special, unbreakable character. She always defended us from anyone who came near, went into no one’s arms — and no treat could buy her affection. I used to say: “Frosya, you are like a true Ukrainian.”
She guarded her food from the cats as if she were starving and would not let them near it even when she was full. “What I can’t eat, I’ll nibble,” I laughed.
Living in Switzerland, I saw a very different attitude towards animals than in my homeland. Sadly, even in the 21st century many people are cruel to animals.
Frosya showed us that an animal is a creature with a soul and a character. And so the love for one small dog slowly grew into the desire to help many.
At seven she nearly died of a mysterious illness. The vets in Zurich were at a loss; she was dying, and they said she should be put to sleep. Then I thought of looking for animal healers who can help when medicine is powerless. We found a woman in Switzerland who treated with natural remedies — extracts of seaweed. Without ever seeing Frosya in person, consulting only by phone, she cured her. Frosya learned to walk again, for after the illness her little paws were like rags. Even in the clinic she fought — the doctors nicknamed her “Piranha”; she could not be picked up without gloves. Her character was strong, and she survived.
Later Frosya faced death once more: an operation whose outcome the vets could not promise. After the anaesthesia, at home, she rose on trembling paws and walked to her litter tray — she was far too clean to allow herself anything else.
We lived through so many happy moments with her: Frosya travelled with us and visited Finland, Spain and Italy several times.
Sadly, the third time Frosya did not pull through. She was diagnosed with cancer, and we believed to the very end that something could still be done. The last visit to the doctor was like a verdict: no longer treatable, metastases. They offered to keep Frosya there to put her to sleep — but we wanted to say goodbye. We took her home, and for two weeks we drove her to the lake and the forest, the places she loved to walk. She could no longer walk herself, but she breathed in the familiar scents with her little nose. When she stopped eating, we understood we had to let her go so she would not suffer.
She was only 12.5 years old. In Switzerland the vet can come to your home — we did not want to stress Frosya again, for she was so afraid of clinics. We carried her out in her little bed into our garden, where she had basked in the sun for so many years. The doctor approached quietly and first gave a calming injection — it seemed to me she did not even notice, and was not afraid. My husband held her in her pink blanket. I kissed her one last time. And so we released our little black Miracle into the Universe.
And now Frosya inspires us to help Ukraine’s defenseless animals and to do good deeds under her name.
Before any of the projects we bought a piece of land in Kryvyi Rih for an animal shelter — and I decided to name it “Frosya”. So our dog’s name became the name of the charitable organization, and her portrait crowned the entrance arch of the first playground, “Puppy”.
«Good will save the world»
