Rescue dog Hanna, who helped find over 170 people after Russian strikes, dies

According to Ukrinform, the Pavlohrad Search and Rescue Canine Unit "Antares" reported this on Facebook.

Photo: Pavlohrad Search and Rescue Canine Unit "Antares"

Hanna was trained to find both survivors and the bodies and remains of the deceased, working in both man-made disaster zones and natural environments. She took part in hundreds of search and rescue operations across the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Sumy, Kirovohrad, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions.

Photo: Ukraine's State Emergency Service

The four-legged rescuer worked alongside the State Emergency Service at sites of Russian missile strikes, including in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kotelva, Novohrodivka, Selydove, Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, Kramatorsk, and many other locations across the country. She also carried out missions as part of the humanitarian project "On the Shield," helping recover the bodies of fallen Ukrainian defenders.

Photo: Ukraine's State Emergency Service

Hanna was also deployed by police units in various regions of Ukraine and was able to locate a missing person even seven days after their disappearance.

Among her duties was providing therapeutic and psychological support. She was even allowed into the intensive care unit of the Central Hospital of the Western Region.

Photo: Pavlohrad Search and Rescue Canine Unit "Antares"

A year ago, Hanna was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was given just two to three months to live. However, she lived for another year, continuing to work throughout that time – helping return bodies for burial, rescuing survivors, and healing emotional wounds.

"This was not just a dog – but a Soul and a Person… A dog who lived her life for people and did far more than some humans. Her entire life was about search. Hanna sacrificed her health and developed that diagnosis while working at sites of heavy fighting and enemy attacks. One of her recent missions accelerated her death," the canine unit said.

Photo: Pavlohrad Search and Rescue Canine Unit "Antares"

As previously reported, more than 500 dogs are currently serving in Ukraine's Armed Forces, carrying out tasks within canine units and taking part in demining operations, particularly in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

Photo: Dnipro City Council