Watch Heartwarming Moment Ukrainian Refugee Is Reunited With Dog

The moment a dog and his owner from Ukraine were reunited at an airport has melted hearts online.

Viktoriia Zalis lives in Miami, Florida, but was born in Kyiv, Ukraine.

As a result of President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, she was forced to leave her home country and 2-year-old Maltese dog Waffles went to stay with her friend in Poland.

"We left Ukraine from our country house with a small backpack on the second day of the war, thinking I would return home soon," Zalis told Newsweek. "We traveled to Poland for 35 hours, of which 17 hours were spent at the Polish border. Before reaching the border, someone started shooting, and we ran into the forest, with many people releasing their dogs into the woods."

When they reached Poland, they discovered that Waffles needed another vaccination before he could fly on to the U.S. with his owners.

Dogs from Ukraine can be imported to the U.S. only with permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ukraine is considered a country with high risk of rabies, and for the CDC to approve a dog import permit the dog must be microchipped, have up to date rabies vaccinations and owners must provide all the required documentation for the permit.

With only one vaccination missing, Waffles' owners assumed that things would move quickly.

"They promised us it would be done in 4 days, but it ended up being delayed for a month," said Zalis. "Since I got a U.S. visa, I decided to fly to arrange everything here and bring him."

Waffles stayed safely in Poland for almost two months before everything was arranged for him to be able to come to the U.S., and then Zalis had to find someone who would accompany her dog on the journey.

"I searched for a long time and found a volunteer who brought him to me. It was important and valuable for me, and despite the difficult journey, I would like people to bring their pets because it's worth it," she said.

In heartwarming footage posted to TikTok with over 990,000 views, Zalis flew to meet her beloved dog in New York and they were reunited at the airport.

Jumping into his owner's arms, it was clear that Waffles was thrilled to be back with his person, and now they live together by the ocean in Miami.

With so many views on the video, many people were thrilled to see the reunion, while some criticized the dog owner for traveling to the U.S. without her dog to begin with.

"I know that any popular video attracts not only those who are happy for you but also those who will criticize your actions," said Zalis. "Some were happy and wished us luck, while others said they'd be better off staying in a country at war with their pet."

"For me, responsibility is not just about being always together but providing the best conditions for your pet, and sometimes you must sacrifice something at first," she explained. "I'm sure Waffles is much happier with me now in Miami than if we had stayed in Ukraine, hiding in a shelter every night amidst the sounds of explosions."

"I'm very happy that I got a visa to the U.S.," she added. "Now I can develop my blog from here, teach people crypto trading and help my loved ones—and Waffles can run near the ocean and travel together with me."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.