Photograph of a dog that survived the siege

Photograph of a dog that survived the siege. “... Leningrad found itself in an extremely complicated situation from the first months of the war. In the Leningrad Front, army dogs were fed with anything that could be found. It was much harder for pet dogs. There was nothing for them to eat. And still, it would be wrong to say that not a single pet dog was left in the city. People were starving, but tried to save their pets. There were many stories of this kind. After the hardest period of the siege was over, rations for pet dogs were introduced, albeit meager. Owing to those rations, some dogs managed to survive, even though there remained very few of them. In 1945, Leningrad residents organized the first dog show. Army dogs naturally prevailed, and all of them were underfed. Dog clubs from all over the country helped Leningraders restore their dog population. The number of pedigree dogs in the city had grown to the pre-war level by 1949…” (Quoted from B. Ryabinin. You and Your Friend Rex. Publishing house “Ural Worker.” 1962)