San Leandro Woman Raising Money For Ukraine Street Dogs, Report

SAN LEANDRO, CA — San Leandro's Jena Dzitsiuk, who was born in Ukraine, is watching the Russian invasion of her homeland with horror.

"It's horrible hearing how some of my friends cannot leave and they are not safe," she said to ABC7 News.

Dzitsiuk has been in contact with members of a nonprofit that she helped found here in the Bay Area called Transform A Street Dog. The organization saves street dogs, trains them, and then transports them to the U.S. for adoption.

Dzitsiuk's own dog, Zoob, is a Ukrainian rescue.

The Russian invasion has stranded 15 members of the team in Kyiv who are currently caring for about 40 dogs, often spending the night in makeshift bomb shelters.

The nonprofit is raising money to hire drivers to transport them to the Ukrainian border. Donations are being collected on the organization's Facebook page.

See Dzitsiuk and Zoob on ABC7.