Throughout history, dogs have accompanied man at work and play.  Even in the midst of men’s ᴡᴀʀs, dogs have been found serving in functions ranging from ᴍᴀsᴄᴏᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs of war like this dog, who has been helping Uᴋʀᴀɪɴɪᴀɴ.

Our hearts continue to be with the people of Ukraine, who have been facing an ᴏɴɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴍɪʟɪᴛᴀʀʏ ɪɴᴠᴀsɪᴏɴ ʙʏ Rᴜssɪᴀɴ Fᴏʀᴄᴇs.

We’ve been moved and inspired by stories of resilience by the Uᴋʀᴀɪɴɪᴀɴ people. Many of these stories involve animals: people ʀɪsᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs to protect local pets and animals, and animals returning the favor by helping Uᴋʀᴀɪɴɪᴀɴ forces.

Like one heroic little dog, who has been hard at work helping to clear ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇs.

Meet Patron. He is the mascot of Chernihiv pyrotechnicians. The city is constantly under shelling, but the doggo follows them everywhere no matter what. He loves cheese, so rescuers, on occasion, treat him (and try not to spoil).

A viral photos shared by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show the dog named Patron who is the “mascot” of explosions experts in Chernihiv, who is specially trained to sniff out Russian explosive devices.

The photos show Patron hard at work, wearing his own protective vest, using his sense of smell to track the location of ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs.

According to the Facebook post, the dog has helped the SES team clear 90 ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇs since the start of the war last month.

Dogs are known for their incredible sense of smell, and they can be specially trained to detect ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇs. Humans can then ᴅᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪsᴀʀᴍ them, helping to save countless lives.

It’s safe to say this dog is making a big difference: according to NPR, over 900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and officials say most of the deaths have been caused by “explosive weapons with a wide impact area.”

Officials in Uᴋʀᴀɪɴᴇ are grateful for the dog’s important work: Thank you, friend, for your tireless work!The photos has been viewed over 175,000 times on Facebook in just two days, and many local Uᴋʀᴀɪɴɪᴀɴs have praised the dog, wishing him continued safety as the war wages on.

“Please keep him safe! Glory to Ukraine!” one comment reads.

“God bless our boys and little four-legged helpers!” another wrote.