Our Brothers nomination: A dog named Rainier defended his friend until his last breath.
The story that happened on Christmas night in the Leningrad region in the small town of Otradny was told by journalists of the information and analytical newspaper PRO Otradnoe.
On the night of January 6-7, an unknown assaulted the dog's owner in the courtyard of an apartment building, after which a fight broke out between them. Victoria, the victim's wife, heard the noise and ran to the window. She saw how their dog tried to protect the owner, but the muzzle prevented him from responding adequately to the offender, it turned out only to peck the enemy with his nose.
A large Doberman named Rainier could not allow a stranger to attack his master and tried to protect him in any way. But the forces were not equal. The opponent had a knife in his hands. And the four-legged defender got hit right in the heart. The killer fled in an unknown direction, and the dog was bleeding in the arms of the owner. The moment when the attacker pulled out a knife and inflicted a fatal blow on the dog is still before the eyes of the owner Victoria Korzinina.
"Rainier came to us five and a half years ago. I've been dreaming about this dog for a long time. He's not my first dog, and the decision to get a Doberman was a deliberate one. Many years ago, I lost my baby during childbirth and was in a long-term depression. Loneliness and emptiness were eating me up from the inside out, and I needed someone who understood me exactly, shared my interests, and became a friend and companion. Then I decided to fulfill my long-held dream," says Victoria Korzinina about her friend.
After the terrible incident, Rainier was taken to a veterinary clinic. For two hours, doctors fought for his life, but could not help. The dog went to the rainbow. And the owners did not know how to console themselves in this grief. After all, Rainier was not an ordinary dog to them, he was a devoted friend, family member, protector. And for the other tailed ones, Rainier was a savior at all. This handsome Doberman was an honorary donor of the Poisk Laboratory's pet blood bank.
"I've always believed that saving someone's life is extremely important. The first time Rainier and I decided to donate was when I saw an ad on social media that blood was urgently needed. The clinic was not far from us. They were saving a Doberman with cancer. At that time, I still did not know that dogs can donate blood on a regular basis. Later, the boys and I (there are two Dobermans in the family – editor's note) began to do this systematically. When we donate blood, in order to somehow support and distract them in the process, I sing them songs. Doctors are always very touched by this," Victoria shares.
According to Victoria, Rainier invested a lot of effort, time and love. They constantly worked with a dog handler, a handler, Rainier has various certificates of rescue dogs, guide dogs, many sporting achievements, even helped children with cerebral palsy. And that makes his death even harder to bear.
"We got acquainted with organizations that deal with the socialization and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy with the help of dogs. This type of pet therapy is called canisterapy. Playing with animals, children train their memory and attention, learn to pronounce words, and develop the motor functions of their arms and legs. A therapy dog should be non-aggressive, calmly accept any impact, and most importantly, be willing to interact with humans. Rainier was just like that - a real dad, he was always interested in tinkering with children," recalls Victoria Korzinina.
Today, Victoria's family is learning to move on, cherishing in their hearts the good memory of their faithful friend and protector. And they are eternally grateful to Rainier for being in their life, for helping them to get out of long-term depression, for repeatedly saving life, protecting from human cruelty, then from a pack of dogs, and for giving his life to save the husband.
Photos from Victoria Korzinina's personal archive.