Daria Pushkareva was a successful photographer living in Russia’s capital city of Moscow when she decided to leave the bustling city life behind. She now lives in the woods with over 100 rescued dogs, many of them disabled and special-needs. According to an interview with Bored Panda, Daria always knew in her heart that she wanted to help animals.
While living in Moscow, Daria had a robust career as an elite wedding photographer, but always felt a desire to leave everything behind in search of something more. As a child growing up in Russia she had always dreamed of rescuing dogs and opening a dog shelter.
Daria’s first rescue was a one-eyed, flea-covered puppy from the local animal control. She soon started taking in more rescued animals, especially those that were disabled or had special needs such as wheelchairs. One day Daira decided to follow through on her dream, so she and her husband bought a country house in a forest a hundred miles from Moscow.
Today, Daria and her husband care for over 100 animals. Along with rescuing dogs, Daria also saves animals from the fur farming industry; these include raccoons, raccoon dogs, foxes, and arctic foxes. While taking care of over 100 animals can be exhausting, Daria now feels more fulfilled in her everyday life.
Daria and her husband now devote their entire lives to taking care of their rescues. They have built nighttime enclosures for all of the animals, and during the day everyone gets to run around all they want. Daria and her husband spend their days mostly making sure that all the dogs have been fed and everyone has taken their medications, and that all of the living spaces are clean and tidy.
Living in the forest already has its challenges, and taking care of so many animals can make things even more complicated. But Daria and her husband are both committed to their rescue dogs and know that the animals rely on them for all of their needs. The dogs’ wellbeing is the number-one priority, while Daria and her husband make sure that they do not take on any more than they can handle.
They also rely a lot on friends and volunteers to help them out along the way. Living mostly off-the-grid, they have installed solar panels for electricity and have a generator. With the help of friends, they also now have running water and indoor plumbing. Winters in Russia can be rough, but summers are a lot easier. Daria and her husband support themselves with the money they made when they both had full time jobs. And they rely on public donations to help provide for the animals.
People from all over contact Daria and ask if she will take in rescued and unwanted dogs; many of these animals are disabled and have special needs, so nobody else wants them. When the dogs first arrive at the rescue shelter, a lot of them also have behavioral issues. Most of the animals the couple takes in would have been euthanized otherwise.
Daria and her husband both believe that even dogs with disabilities deserve to be saved, and can live long and happy lives.

God bless your selfless hearts & for saving these beautiful dogs and others. 🙏❤❤❤
They are some awesome people. Thank you. Your hearts are precious.
This is wonderful to see and learn about. What a magnificent couple!
Lovely lady. May she be an inspiration to many others.
How can I donate to their sanctuary?
There is a link at the top of the article to this lady’s Instagram account, but it’s in Russian so I’m not sure.
Thanks.
Living the dream life! Taking care of special-needs animals is a lot of of hard work, but it looks like this lady has found her calling.
Bless this young lady’s heart and her husband, friends and other volunteers too. What a very nice and caring gesture they have done giving their time, compassion and love to those unwanted dogs. This is such a wonderful story and I wish Daria, the dogs and everyone involved well.
A very big thank you!
Firmado!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless all of you and keep everyone safe.
YOU ALL ROCK, GOD BLESS YOU AND THESE WONDERFUL,HAPPY,SAFE ANIMALS!!
KIND PEOPLE LIKE THESE, INSPIRE ALL OF US TO CONTINUE TO HELP THE HELPLESS!!!
PLUS, GOD ALWAYS BLESSES YOU FOR IT.!!! BE PATIENCE AND YOU WILL SEE IT HAPPEN.
FOLKS, STORIES LIKE THESE GIVE MAN A REASON TO GO ON IN THIS WICKED WORLD!!!
GOD HAS BLESSED THEM FOR THEIR ENDEAVORS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, ESPECIALLY WITH SITES LIKE LADY FREE THINKER!!!
Daria, I have a special place for the animals with special needs and what you and your husband are doing is incredible and amazing and so awesome! I wish there are more people in the world like you! And I wish I were rich, so that I could help you…. Please don’t give up and keep doing what you’re doing!
God bless you ! Thank You !
I’m happy to see stories like this one…I’m thankful there are still kind, selfless people in this world…My heart and applause goes out to her and her husband!
Do you need any helpers? I wish I could do what you have done, thank you for your kindness, if only we all could be like you. We are supposed to take care of all Gods creations, but I see so much wrong 🙁
Animal hoarder.
You are a complete idiot and a horrible person. Why do you even bother reading beautiful stories like these?? Shame on you!!!
You’re a real loser, living a paltry miserable meaningless life. People like you suck the joy out of everything just by existing.
You’re a real loser, living a paltry miserable meaningless life. People like you suck the joy out of everything beautiful just by existing.
Sounds like a dream life, leave the daily grind behind to build a cabin in the woods and dedicate your life to saving animals. Although to feed so many animals (over 100 dogs) the food bill must be staggering. Also it says that a lot of the animals are older or have medical issues, so there’s also a lot of vet bills and medications etc. It does say that she used to be a successful photographer so she probably has money saved up, and maybe her husband still has a full time job. Beautiful life taking care of animals.
Daria what can be said about you and your husband – you are both angels who are doing much more than just God’s work – you are 2 very incredible people and there are just not words to describe the love and devotion that you are showing to all of these poor animals. You both should be awarded medals for all of this kindness and the purpose that you have changed your lives into by leaving your own industries to focus on all of these wonderful and wounded animals. I wish you both much happiness and well being in your future lives and may the animals tend to spend their lives with both of you. Congrats to 2 of God’s special people here on earth.
Oh Daria you are a beautiful young woman. Your husband is a hero too. In a world of such vileness brutality and cruelty you stand out as a beautiful soul. How I wish that I could put my life to such good use as you and your husband have, you will be rewarded eternally for your goodness I 💕you both.
Daria & Husband both are Angels. No doubt Your dedication & commitment towards these poor innocent animals will be highly appreciated by every animal lover in this world. Do you have a web site. That would be nice if anyone loves to offer any help. Thank you.
STOP THIS EVIL AGAINST INNOCENT ANIMALS. THOSE HORRIBLE NEED A DETERRENT.
I will never buy a Nestles product again until ties are broken with this concentration camp they use. Every employee not only needs to be fired but prosecuted for severe animal cruelty and serve prision time. NO animal should ever be abused.
COMMENT Ser humano acima média, com atitudes mais q NOBRE. Obrigada!
What a lovely couple. When you start to run out of money ask animal lovers for help. You both are dong a magnificent job and not only that you are enjoying it.
What beautiful hearts Daria and her husband have. Inside and out. God bless you.
Thanku 4 the work you are doing. Tbe world needs more people like you. 🐶🐕🐾❤❤❤❤❤
I am proud her and her husband have the heart to take care of these loving animals.
Well done to Daria and her husband for carrying out this great work.
Une très belle personne et un bel exemple pour tous ces hypocrites (notamment ces pourris de politiques)
qui se posent en donneurs de leçons et dont la morale est ” faites ce que je dis mais pas ce que je fais…notamment chez nous en France
I have thought about this many times also, but you need money to get something like this going. You gotta have money saved up for the initial investment, then you can register as a non-profit and hopefully get donations from the caring public. Just remember that you can’t rely on public donations as a steady source of income, so you also have to do fundraising and have a back-up plan for money. You gotta make sure that you can actually provide for all of the animals that you take in, and that no one goes neglected. If you can make something like this work, more power to you!
What a wonderful couple,reminds me of Michael Chour who rescues dogs from the dog meat trade in Asia.I wish to follow in their footstep one day.
That is so awesome – I wish there were so many more people that would be so willing to sacrifice the comforts of life to help needy animals. I know if I had more money I could do it but I live in a tiny house supporting my daughter and hoping to do what I can to help animals.
Everything that you do, no matter how small you think it is, counts.
Don’t ever forget that.
So beautiful. The world needs more people like this.
Agree.