'We are not leaving. We will stay with the animals.' Caretakers at Ukrainian rescue shelters refuse to abandon thousands of pets left behind throughout their war-torn country as food and resources grow more scarce
• Thousands of dogs, cats and other animals are in rescue shelters throughout war-torn Ukraine
• Their devoted and courageous caretakers have refused to leave the animals behind
• Animal welfare veteran Laura Simpson, who is the founder of Harmony Fund, an American based non-profit, has been
providing extensive care to the Ukrainian shelters for years
• Simpson told DailyMail.com. 'I have spoken with several shelter owners and of course they are scared, but they won't abandon their animals. I have seen so much heart in Ukraine'
• Marina Dilly is the founder of Shelter Friend located in Dnipro and home to some 650 dogs and 200 cats
• She told DailyMail.com, 'It is not possible to get food or material items to the shelter'
•'We have enough food for a few days, but if nobody helps us and if NATO does not close the sky over Ukraine, I am afraid these dogs will have little chance for survival,' Dilly added