Anne K. Howard Author

Move over Benji. Step aside, Lassie. There's a new celebrity dog in town. Her name is Yola. She is a Siberian Husky who lived in the once-beautiful port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Yola is one of the main characters in "Escape from Mariupol: A Survivor's True Story," a nonfiction that I recently co-authored with Yola's owner, Adoriana Marik.   When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Yola sheltered with Adoriana in a dark and freezing cold basement beneath a high-rise building in downtown Mariupol. Yola huddled beside Adoriana as deafening aerial shelling occurred 24/7 while an intense gun battle raged in the streets above. Adoriana risked her life for Yola when she left the shelter one afternoon and stole a bag of kibble from a nearby pet store where other looters searched for pet food.  In the early months of the war, Yola had an important job to do. She needed to comfort Adoriana during many dark and hopeless days and nights underground. She also had to