Oksana Lytvynova founded the “Happy Dog” shelter in 2014 in the city of Kropyvnytskyi. It all started with 25 dogs that she took under her care. Every year the shelter expanded, new enclosures were built, and later even a small “cat house” was added.
The most difficult year for the shelter was 2022, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The number of animals reached a critical level of about 350. People were leaving Kropyvnytskyi in masses, abandoning their pets or leaving them at the shelter gates. The team was completely exhausted, and adoptions almost came to a halt.
Today, the “Happy Dog” shelter in Kropyvnytskyi provides a haven for 222 animals. Among them are many puppies, senior animals, those evacuated from combat zones, as well as those found on the city streets. There are also animals with disabilities who could not survive without constant human care. All animals are sterilized and require daily care, medical treatment, and high-quality nutrition.
Oksana Lytvynova is also a coordinator for our foundation in Kropyvnytskyi. In addition to managing the shelter, she regularly distributes aid among volunteers who care for stray animals on the city streets. Thanks to this systematic work, support reaches animals even beyond the shelter. The shelter team does everything possible to find families for the animals. They use paid advertising, regularly publish posts, and have established cooperation with French animal welfare organizations to find homes abroad. Another vital area of work is the sterilization of both shelter animals and stray animals in Kropyvnytskyi.
In 2025, with the support of international animal welfare organizations, 345 animals were sterilized. During the same year, 190 animals from the shelter found forever homes not only in Ukraine but also in France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and Finland. Out of these, 95 animals were placed with families abroad throughout 2025.
