Moscow's Strays Know Subways

Did you really think figuring out to get from point "A" to be point "B" was strictly a human problem? What about our little friends? How else are they supposed to get around? The food isn't just kind to find itself.  In the United States, seeing stray dogs wandering the streets is not such a common sight; however, the same can't be said for other countries where the strays can number in the tens of thousands.

Negligent owners and even poorer animal control has led to exponential breeding and streets swarming with born-strays. This has been going on for decades and the canines, who were born strays have learned to adapt. There are more than a few dogs, who even know how to circumnavigate the Moscow subways.

Have you ever heard that dogs are color blind? However, in Moscow, homeless dogs cross the streets with pedestrians and wait for green light. Researchers assume that these crafty canines are following the movement of the pedestrians. As mentioned earlier, some dogs are street-wise enough to wait for the train like any other commuter. In between stops, these strays even take naps to kill time before their specific stop. There are some many homeless dogs in Moscow that packs of strays have actually started taking to the subways system in search of food, shelter, and means of transportation. Like any other major metropolis, life just went on in Moscow as no one seemed to notice or care to any more. Sharing a subway car with a stray black lab lounging on the bench next to them just doesn't irk any one any more. It's really quite sad.

In most metropolitan Russian cities, there is a near-epidemic of homeless dogs and born-strays running around the cities. It is estimated that there are an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 stray dogs roaming the streets of Moscow alone. About a year ago, the Moscow authorities allocated roughly $76 million to care for these stray dogs in terms of shelters and sterilizations.

"As of September 1, approximately 12,000 dogs are being kept in the city's animal shelters, foster owners were found for 3,300 dogs this year."                                                                         - Anton Velikhovsky, head of Moscow's public utilities

As Russia proceeds to curb their dog population issues, we should learn from their situation. If you see a stray, report them to your local no-kill shelter like Little Friends Foundation in Las Vegas, Nevada. The streets are no place for an animal domesticated by man and bred to be dependent. A shelter will at least administer the necessary shots, spay and or neuter the dog and give the little friend a place to call home, however temporary. It's the humane thing to do.