Superstitious thoughts ran through Andriy’s mind. He had been warned about what could inhabit these waters, luring sailors into the water before they inevitably drowned. But as he swam closer to the dog on the ice, he felt a shiver climb up his back.
He froze at the edge of the fragment of ice as the animal looked directly into his eyes. That’s when he understood that he had made a huge mistake.
It wasn’t just a job for Andriy Boykov. It was his passion. Ever since he was a boy, he had a fascination with the ocean. He read his father’s old hardcover copy of “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.”
The book also helped Andriy learn English at the same time. As his parents only spoke Ukrainian growing up, he found English Second Language class boring in school. It was this bond with the book that sparked his love for the sea.
Even though the fascination started at the age of eight, for Andriy, it stayed with him all through his school years. He always thought of exploring the unknown waters of the frigid sea, all while getting paid for it.
Now just out of high school, Andriy’s passion for the sea still hadn’t died, and he knew what he had to do if he wanted to turn it into a career.
The requirements for being a sailor are quite strict. Andriy had to get a maritime certification – a 28-month-long course that would require all of his resolves. But he used his passion to drive him forward and passed with flying colors.
After getting his license, a 20-year-old Andriy was now ready to find a ship that would hire him and finally take him on the adventures he dreamt of. But he had no idea how it would end.
Soon Andriy was picked up by a cargo company. They shipped cargo by sea from Ukraine, all to ports in China and elsewhere. Among the crew, Andriy spotted an old, weathered man who introduced himself as Oleksander.
He didn’t think much about Oleksander at first, but in time, he would learn that he would have something important to tell him that would be a forewarning of danger.
Ukraine borders the Black Sea. This is the only body of water that it borders, which means any ships heading out of their ports only have one option to get to the Mediterranean Ocean.
They would have to bear the harsh weather of the Black Sea, which is said to have gotten its name from the darkness of the waters when black clouds storm above, causing dangerous storms.
To make matters even grimmer, there was only one way to get out of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean – the Black Sea Strait. It’s agreed among nearly all sailors that the Black Sea Strait is one of the most dangerous routes a ship can take in the world.
But Andriy didn’t know that the danger wouldn’t come from the sea itself but from something he saw while on the strait.
A Week Into their journey, they were deep in Black Sea Straight. Their progress was slow due to all of the ice they had to tread. But that morning, while Andriy was drinking a hot cup of coffee while looking out at the barren landscape, he spotted something.
“Hey, guys! I think I see something. It looks like a dog trapped on the ice!” Andriy shouted to his fellow crewmates. Oleksander was the first to appear behind him and squinted at the animal on the ice.
“Andriy, are you stupid? Can’t you see it’s black? Have you never heard of a black dog as a bad omen? I bet that’s a Vodyanoy.” Oleksander seemed shaken as he explained his sailor superstition to him.
Oleksander looked at Andriy for a second and then explained, “From your look, I can tell you don’t know what a Vodyanoy is. It’s an evil water spirit, and it loves to drown sailors.” Oleksander wasn’t wrong. Old Slavic folklore depicts a Vodyanoy as a vengeful spirit that only serves to try and lure sailors into bodies of water to drown them.
“So what of your superstitions? That dog is going to freeze to death or starve!” Andriy barked back at his crewmate. “I’m going to help it by myself. Just hold my harness.”
Without hesitation, Andriy attached his harness to the ship and climbed over the edge of the boat. He was thankfully a strong swimmer and swam straight for the dog. But as he got closer to the black dog, he couldn’t shake what Oleksander had told him. Had he made a mistake?
Superstitious thoughts ran through Andriy’s mind. He had been warned about what could inhabit these waters, luring sailors into the water before they inevitably drowned. But as he swam closer to the dog on the ice, he felt a shiver climb up his back.
He froze at the edge of the fragment of ice as the animal looked directly into his eyes. That’s when he understood that he had made a huge mistake.
Andriy knew immediately that he had misidentified the dog. It was a wild dog, not the domesticated animal he assumed it was. But despite the danger, the look the wild dog gave him was one of pleading.
The animal knew that he was the only one that could save it. So Andriy gave Oleksander the signal to reel his harness in. This pulled the two to the side of the boat.
With a lot of effort, Andriy managed to clip the dog into his harness and have Oleksander and the other crew lift it up and onto the deck. Andriy himself could climb safely up the ladder.
Now on the deck, Oleksander seemed a little less superstitious now. “You got lucky this time. I wouldn’t tempt fate and dive into the water for every animal we see.” Andriy laughed, “That’s the difference between you and me, Olek.”
The wild dog seemed complacent and docile. He even let Andriy dry him off with a towel. Even the domesticated dogs the crew had brought on the ship seemed to welcome the wild dog.
But Andriy knew he had to make a decision. He had to decide what to do with the animal. Thankfully in Ukraine and other Slavic countries, it’s not uncommon for people to domesticate wild animals.
Andriy convinced the captain to let him keep the dog on the ship while they made the journey to other countries and eventually back home to Ukraine. The wild dog would develop a close bond with Andriy and would never leave his side.
Andriy kept him as a pet after the journey was over, and he seemed easy to train for a wild animal. To the dog, anything must have been easier than staying trapped on that piece of ice.
