Southington, Connecticut Dog Trainer Steve Spent Five Weeks Volunteering at a 3,000-Dog Shelter in Wartime Ukraine

With more than 2,000 dogs trained over ten years, the Connecticut trainer paid his own way to help dogs left behind by the war

SOUTHINGTON, CT, UNITED STATES, October 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Steve, the dog trainer behind Steve Good Dog, has spent more than ten years training dogs. During that time, he has worked with more than 2,000 of them, from service dogs for Marines living with PTSD to family dogs he now trains one-on-one in homes across central Connecticut. So when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, and news reports filled with images of dogs left behind as families fled, he couldn’t stop thinking about them.

“I knew when people were leaving, they weren’t taking their dogs,” he said. “I could just imagine what it would be like for these dogs with the bombing, the fear they must have.” His family pushed back, worried about his safety, but he knew he had to go for the dogs. With no organization behind him, he paid his own way and spent nearly five weeks volunteering at a shelter on the outskirts of Kyiv.

The shelter where Steve spent his time housed more than 3,000 dogs. He had planned to train staff to help frightened dogs cope with the bombing and the loss of their families. Instead, he found a place where the most anyone could manage was putting out enough food and water to last up to four days, the time it took to make the rounds of every kennel.

So he did whatever was needed. Many of the workers were afraid of the dogs, so Steve went into the crates himself, cleaned them out, and spent time with the dogs inside. He says it wasn’t the training work he had pictured, but the dogs responded to him all the same. “When they would see a human, the way I would talk to them, they felt my energy,” he said.

One dog in particular stayed with him. Steve noticed him in a crate, playing with his food bowl all day while his brother slept beside him. Steve took him out and taught him to walk on a lead. “He just wanted to do something with his mind,” Steve said. “I don’t think he’d had that connection with anyone in a long time.” It’s the kind of thing he looks for in every dog he meets: what the dog is trying to tell you and what it needs.

His experience showed in quieter ways, too. On his first day, military personnel brought in a female Alabai, a powerful guardian breed kept to protect farms and livestock. Many of these dogs had been left loose on the streets after the invasion. When she charged the front of her kennel, one of the sisters threw her treats to calm her down. Steve explained that rewarding a dog in that moment can reinforce the very behavior you want to stop.

That mix of patience and honesty informs how Steve trains at home. His approach is built on understanding and trust rather than dominance, and on coaching owners as much as dogs. He believes consistency at home is what makes training last. “Every owner and dog has the potential to be amazing once they understand the art of effective communication,” he said.

He doesn’t talk much about Ukraine and would rather keep the focus on the dogs. But the experience helps explain why so much of his work now involves rescue dog training for Connecticut families, helping dogs who arrive with fears and histories no one fully knows. “Rescue dogs always tell you their story if you pay attention,” Steve said. “And dogs never lie.”
Steve Good Dog provides in-home dog training in Southington and towns across central Connecticut, working one-on-one with families on everything from puppy basics to fearful and reactive rescue dogs. Steve holds a 5.0 rating on Google. To learn more or arrange a free call, visit stevegooddog.com or call 860 266 5566.

Emma Sivess
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