When thousands flee war leaving everything behind them and seeking safety beyond the border, Arya Aldrin, 20, a stranded medical student in Ukraine who hails from Munnar in Idukki, was not ready to abandon her pet dog, a Siberian Husky, which she got from a friend five months ago.
She risked everything to bring the pet to her home from the war zone. Though she is yet to reach home, she earned praise from all corners for rescuing the dog from the war front and bringing it with her on an evacuation flight to New Delhi.
Though she was turned down by the Air Asia flight to take the pet along with her to Kerala citing technical reasons, she would be arriving at the Cochin International Airport on an Air India flight on Friday with her pet dog named Zaira at 2 p.m.
Speaking to The Hindu, over phone, Aldrin, her father, who is a field officer with Harrisons Malayalam in Idukki, said she was determined to bring back her pet to Munnar.
Arya, a second year MBBS student, had made preparations to bring the pet to her home even before the war began. She had taken passport, chip and vaccination for the dog and booked a ticket to Chennai airport on March 6 as the airports in Kerala are not pet friendly.
But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has upset her plans. She took a bus to the Romanian border on February 27 and walked around 23 km with her dog to cross the border, Mr. Aldrin said.
Ms. Aldrin said Arya had to abandon her bag consisting of clothes and food when the journey became laborious. She had to carry the dog in her arms at one point of time while walking. But the dog was cooperating with her, said an elated Ms. Aldrin.
She had arranged a cabin before boarding a flight from an airport at Bucharest in Romania on Wednesday night. The cabin crew had no issues taking the dog with her inside the flight, while here Air India would not allow her to take the pet along with her in the cabin. Instead it would be transported along with cargo, said Mr. Aldrin.
Earlier, a picture of Arya travelling with her pet in an evacuation bus had gone viral on social media, with people taking to the social media to praise the young girl and her passion and commitment towards the pet.
Education Minister V. Sivankutty was also among those who praised her, but the State government was not ready to provide a free ride for her as the chartered flight which was arranged by the State government had no facility to allow the dog with her. She would be bringing the pet along with her on Friday at her own expense.
