‘Vlad’ dog toys raise £430 for Ukraine support

Austin & Co, creators of Pet Hates Toys, has raised £430 for charity from the sale of its first ‘Vlad’ toys, depicting Vladimir Putin.

All profits from the donations are going to charity organisations providing support to animals in Ukraine.

In a LinkedIn statement, Austin & Co Founder Sean Austin said £230 has been donated to IFAW , the International Fund for Animal Welfare, who support two shelters in Ukraine and has been supplying resources like food and veterinary supplies; another £200 has been donated to Transform A Street Dog , a charity that rescues and rehabilitates street dogs in Ukraine. Their fund will also go to help pet owners abandoned dogs.

He added that the company has now made 30 more Vlad toys and is taking pre-orders, as the first batch of 20 toys was sold out.

“Thanks to the wonderful customers of Austin & Co, we were able this evening to make the first donations totalling £430 from the sale of our first 20 Vlad dog toys,” Austin said.

“It’s been difficult to decide where to donate and which organisation was best placed to help out as quick as possible.

“It was also important that the funds raised actually went somewhere where there would be help on the ground, and also taking advice on what was legit or not; even in times of war, there are unfortunately still scammers out there.”