An inspiring true story of hope in tumultuous times and a riveting portrait of the volunteers, soldiers and civilians who set aside their lives to defend a country and save just one life.

On a chilly day in November 2024, a skinny black dog wandered up to two soldiers from Canada, both foreign fighters with the Ukrainian military, who had set up position in the eastern part of the country on one of the most terrifying battlefields in modern history.

One of the soldiers, Dave Alvarado, reached out to stroke the frightened dog's cheek. Cautiously, the pup accepted his touch, gazing up with hopeful amber eyes, before slipping back into the brush. The next morning, the men found the animal curled up at their feet, fast asleep. They named the pup Donbas, after the region of Ukraine where he'd been found.

For the next six days, the dog followed the soldiers like a shadow as they trekked across the dangerous landscape under a sky filled with drones, mortars and bombs. It became clear the dog had chosen them—and they vowed to get him out alive. Soon, the quest to bring Donbas to safety in Canada would draw in a small, far-flung community of volunteers from all over the world.

A Dog Called Donbas is the story of one animal's unlikely journey from the battlefields of Ukraine to the mountains of western Canada—and of the soldiers, volunteers and ordinary people bound by a shared determination: to save one small life.