Ukrainian man carries dog on shoulder while walking to Polish border amid war

Amid the chaotic situation in Ukraine, many citizens are trying their best to flee from the war-torn country. In the middle of the gloomy condition, a photo of a man carrying his pet dog on his shoulder went viral on several social media platforms, attracting praise from all over the world. According to a report by Mirror, the photo was taken by a 35-year-old woman and a mother of two, Alisa Teptiuk, when her husband, Dmytro, was carrying their pet dog on his shoulders in order to reach the Polish border. 
While speaking to the media outlet, Alisa, who is now staying in Poland with her children, sister and mother said that her father died due to some natural reasons on February 23 - a day before Russia's troops attacked Ukraine.

She told that the family was busy arranging a quick burial of their beloved father who has been kept in a morgue since his death. However, she added that the staff denied handing over the body as the country was under attack and they had to leave the country with nine family members in a sedan. Alisha added that the people around them asked the family members to leave the dog in Ukraine. However, she said that the 12-year-old German Shephard dog, Pulya was now a part of their family and, therefore, they could not leave her alone. She told her family travelled 90 miles (around 144 km) in 16 hours due to the long queue of cars at the Polish border.

"We didn’t even think about leaving Pulya in Ukraine", says Alisha

When the family was about to reach the border, an official told them that the queue of cars would take more than five days to clear. Subsequently, she decided to travel the rest of the journey on foot. "While we are travelling on the road, every second person was asking us to leave the dog," Alisha told Mirror. "She has been through the happiest and saddest moments of life with us. She understands us and loves us and we love her very much and will do everything to look after her and keep her safe. No one could convince us that Pulya could be left behind. It was not possible, we didn’t even think about it," she added. Finally, the family reached their temporary house in Poland, where they are living with Pulya who became an internet sensation with the photo that was clicked randomly on a mobile phone.

Image: Twitter/@Rebelli05627463/Alisa Teptiuk