The dogs must have known something was wrong. As hours, then days passed, they must have waited by the door, listening to the town's sudden silence, wondering when their masters would return home.
In the early hours of April 27, 1986, the people of Pripyat were told to evacuate their town. Something had gone wrong at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. People were already getting sick. They could take their important documents and food with them. Nothing more.
As nearly 50,000 of them climbed onto buses, many ended up leaving their family pets behind. It probably didn't seem like such a big deal — officials had told them they could return in just a couple of days.
But they'd never come home again.
That was 31 years ago. Today, the original inhabitants of Pripyat are long since gone. But the pets — the pets are still there.
Two stray dogs with an old cooling tower in the background. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
Well, their descendants are, at least. About 900 stray dogs live in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone — 1,000 square miles of restricted, still-partially contaminated Ukrainian forest about two hours north of Kiev. The radiation is high enough that visitors are limited in the amount of time they’re allowed to stay.
An abandoned building in Pripyat, within the exclusion zone. Photo from Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
Many of the dogs live around the power plant, which puts them in contact with the men and women working on sealing it. And that's a problem.
Several thousand people work in the exclusion zone every day. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
The workers are there to build the sarcophagus, a huge steel and concrete structure that will seal off the still-dangerous former nuclear power plant. The dogs have learned to rely on the workers and the increasing number of tourists for food.
Without humans, the dogs would have to compete with other forest animals for food. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
But for every pup who is friendly towards or at least tolerates humans, there are many more who shy away or could even be dangerous. There's also the risk that they could catch and spread rabies or other diseases from the wolves and other animals that live in the zone.
Radiation isn't the only danger in Chernobyl. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
But one group in particular wants to change this. Meet the Dogs of Chernobyl.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
The group is made of vets, volunteers, and radiation experts from all around the world. Launched by the Clean Futures Fund and working with Ukranian officials, the group runs a recurring vaccine and neutering campaign for the animals.
The campaign runs for several weeks each year. During that time, vets capture the dogs and give them check ups and shots.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
Rabies vaccines in particular will help keep both the dogs and humans safe.
Not all of the dogs are people-friendly. Tranquilizer darts help the process along for the shyer animals.
The man with the blowgun is Pavel "Pasho" Burkatsky, a professional dog catcher from Kiev. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
The pups also get spayed and neutered in order to keep the population in check...
Bob Barker would approve. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
... and given a radiation check.
A Geiger counter reveals this dog has had about 20 times the normal dose of radiation. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
Researchers are still learning what the long-term effects of the radiation have been on animals and plants.
Ultimately, they are tagged and released.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
Some of the dogs are also getting collars with radiation sensors and GPS receivers in order to map radiation levels and help researchers learn more about the inside of the exclusion zone.
Locals were initially suspicious of the group but warmed up when they saw how well the animals were being treated.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
The old, official method of dealing with the dogs had been to shoot them. The vets' presence put a stop to that. Within a week, the vets were canteen celebrities, says Lucas Hixson, the group's co-founder.
When they held a weekend event in the city to help spay and neuter stray cats, so many locals showed up to help they had to turn some away.
The campaigns run for several weeks a year, with this year being the first run. Two more are planned, although more might be in the works, Hixson says. They're raising money to hire a full-time veterinarian to stay year-round.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
They might even be able to help the dogs find their way back to the homes and families they have lost.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.
In the future, young animals might be able to be adopted or trained as service or therapy dogs, Hixson says. The descendants of those abandoned pups might once again find themselves waiting eagerly at the door.
Only this time, there's someone coming home to them.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids… 
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie? 
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."