Solutions from Ukraine: Corgi festival in Kyiv helps veterans and rescues abandoned dogs
Rehabilitation for veterans and service members in Ukraine requires systematic and diverse approaches. Canistherapy — rehabilitation with the help of specially trained dogs — is one proven method of psychological recovery, but it remains little known to the wider public in Ukraine.
At the same time, another problem persists: hundreds of corgis are left without homes every year because of irresponsible breeding or because owners give up dogs of a breed considered "fashionable."
For four years, the Holy Doggy charity project has been holding the Corgiia festival in Kyiv, addressing both issues at once: it promotes canistherapy among Ukrainians and supports abandoned dogs through the Corgi Support fund.
The fourth festival took place on June 6, 2025, and this time it set a national record of Ukraine.
The fourth Corgiia festival, held for the first time at the PAWWER venue near the Pyrohiv Museum, brought together 262 dogs — a record number for the event. The main event was an official 40-meter race, in which Cheddar, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi from Kyiv, set a national record of Ukraine by covering the distance in 5.88 seconds.
The result has been entered into the official register of Ukraine's national records.
In addition to the competitions, guests attended lectures on canistherapy, training and corgi care, and watched demonstration performances in agility, dog fitness — strength and coordination exercises for dogs — and aqua agility, or agility in water.
This year's festival raised 28,265 hryvnias. The funds were distributed between two areas:
One-third of the total amount came from homemade cookies baked by the defender's family and sold for donations by his son Yehor at the festival.
Service members, veterans and guests from other cities attended Corgiia free of charge.
Photos provided by the organizers
Background
As a reminder, Rubryka learned how certified therapy dogs Ash, Berta, Motiko and Linda help veterans and their families in Zaporizhzhia. Read more in our article: "Animal-assisted therapy and military rehabilitation: How man's best friend can heal the scars of war?"
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12 of June 2026
