PÓŹNA, Poland — Social media has provided millions of people around the world with outlets to unwind and find sources of entertainment. The app TikTok is becoming one of the popular choices for Americans to scroll through throughout the day.
The app also provides a way for complete strangers to connect based on common interests.
Tim Davis is the K-9 handler for the Knox County Sheriff's Office and has quite the following on TikTok. He and his K-9 partner, Marek, have millions of likes and views on the app as they chronicle their training and journey around the state.
Because of his popularity, Davis has been invited to speak at some law enforcement conferences and was able to connect with Chris Jimenez, the founder of California-based K9 Connect.
His company trains German shepherds exclusively for police and military units all over the world, including Ukraine. In late February, Jimenez got a text from one of his contacts in Kyiv that said the city was being bombed by the Russian military.
“I got a plane to Warsaw, then I got a train to Lviv, then I hitchhiked to Kyiv to meet up with all of my people," he said in a zoom interview on Friday.
After reuniting with 30 of his dogs, Jimenez began the three-week journey of evacuating them from Ukraine and settling in an abandoned animal shelter in the city of Poznan, Poland.
“As far as my dogs go, I couldn’t ask for better accommodations," Jimenez said. “Everyone here is taken care of. Right now, my only concern is getting the dogs back home.”
That's where Davis comes in. The two have talked every day for weeks. And because Jimenez is involved in the 14-hour process of feeding, walking, and playing with the dogs, Davis helped plan the logistics and helped raise money for the trip home.
"How can I not help this guy?" Davis said during a Zoom call on Wednesday.
Using his own TikTok platform, Davis sold clothes with the phrase, #BringChrisHome. So far he's raised nearly $2,000.
There's another personal connection Davis has to the entire situation. He and his wife spent nearly two years teaching and working in Ukraine as Christian missionaries.
“[Ukrainians] are the nicest people that I have ever met," Davis said. “These are our friends. These are people that I’ve been to their house. I’ve had dinner with them. I’ve walked some of the streets that I’m seeing are now rubble.”
Jimenez told NEWS CENTER Maine that total strangers have helped him every step of the way through his journey, and Davis was not surprised.
“It’s amazing to watch. It’s humbling to watch, and I think that’s the true heart of what the Ukrainian people are," Davis added.
With enough money for the 30 dogs and Jimenez to return home, there is one challenge left to overcome. The K-9s need to pass the CDC permitting process before they are allowed to return to the United States.
Davis said that process should hopefully take a week or two. If the timeline is met, it would mark almost two full months since Jimenez first landed in Ukraine.