Russia Could Kill Thousands Of Helpless Dogs To 'Clean Up' Before World Cup

"They just wanted to get rid of the dogs because they they were an ‘eyesore.’"

To get crowds of stray dogs off the streets before the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Russian government deployed teams of exterminators across Sochi to poison them.

Locals and tourists witnessed dogs vomiting and barking in pain on the streets from the poison; when they died, their bodies remained in plain sight. People sprung into action then to protect as many strays as possible — and now, four years later, they’re fighting to avoid another painful repeat of the debacle.

The FIFA World Cup will be hosted across Russia this June, and there are an estimated 2 million strays throughout the cities where games will be played.

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Stray dogs on the streets of Moscow, Russia | PxHere

Canadian photographer Robin Macdonald was one of the many rescuers during Sochi — and still remembers what he saw. He had counted over 80 dogs along the streets during just one short bus ride into the city — and, just like other visitors, he and his then-partner, U.S. Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy, fell in love with the dogs.

“They visibly had people during the Olympics going around capturing dogs,” Macdonald told The Dodo. “You could see it in plain sight. It wasn’t until later on that I realized they were euthanizing them.”

At one point he spotted a mother dog hiding underneath an Olympic security tent with her four newborn puppies, and knew, even though he couldn’t save every stray he saw, that he needed to help this little family.

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The mother dog found outside the Olympic stadium | Robin Macdonald

Macdonald scooped up one of the smallest puppies and brought her to his hotel room — and when officials learned of his intentions to save the rest, they demanded custody of them all.

“We had went back to bring food to the rest of them and a government official was drugging the mom,” Macdonald said. “They took her and all of the puppies to what they called a ‘vet clinic’ but it was really just a government office in Sochi. They were threatening and bullying me to bring the other puppy back, saying it wasn’t my property.”

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Gus Kenworthy, Macdonald's then-partner, cuddling with the dogs | Robin Macdonald

After the dogs had been detained for two weeks, and one of the puppies died of distemper, the officials gave the dogs up to Macdonald, who arranged for a flight back to New York for the following day with the help of Humane Society International. He loaded up the mother dog and her three puppies, alongside one other unrelated puppy he’d managed to save, and left.

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Macdonald carrying the mother dog, Mamuchka, as her puppy, Jake, looks on | Robin Macdonald

A puppy from the litter and the unrelated puppy, later named Jake and Mishka, stayed with Macdonald in Vancouver. The others, including the mom, went to family friends.

“Two of the mom’s puppies were really sick and passed away soon after,” Macdonald said. “I don’t think they would’ve gotten to that point if they hadn’t been locked up for two weeks. There were armed guards at the doors and they didn’t care there were dogs inside who were dying.”

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A friend going through airport security with one of the rescued puppies | Robin Macdonald

There were plenty of other dogs in trouble, too. As the squads descended upon the streets surrounding the Olympic stadium, dogs were fed poisoned food or hit with poisoned darts. Around $29,000 was spent to kill 1,200 stray animals, The Washington Post reported.

Anna Umansky, a communications specialist living in the U.S. at the time, was outraged after the news hit the national media. As headlines rolled in detailing the animals’ deaths, Umansky got in touch with a local woman in Sochi named Vlada Provotorova who had built an emergency shelter.

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Vlada Provotorova (far right) and volunteers with dogs at the makeshift shelter during the Olympics | Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr.

Umansky and her mother, Tanya, instantly sprung into action.

“We decided to create a fundraiser overnight as a way for people to contribute to Vlada’s efforts,” Umansky told The Dodo. “She and her friends would drive around the city at night taking in as many dogs as they could.”

With Vlada on the frontline, the Umanskys began working behind the scenes to find foster homes in the U.S. that could take in the dogs. They researched logistics and costs of airfare, and before they knew it, their rescue group had a name: Sochi Dogs.

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Two rescued stray dogs at the shelter during the Olympics | Sochi Dogs

“That makeshift shelter during the Olympics turned into our real shelter, and now Vlada still works with us,” Umansky said.

They saved around 30 dogs from certain death during the Games, including Umansky’s current dog, Molly.

Following the Games, the group began implementing spay and neuter programs for strays and offering discounts to local people who needed to have their dogs fixed. They still work to take in at-risk strays for adoption.

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A litter of stray puppies on their way to the shelter in 2017 | Sochi Dogs

Because Russia doesn’t particularly have an “adoption culture,” most of the strays are adopted out to families in the U.S. According to the Russian animal welfare group Vita, local authorities often shoot strays as means of population control instead of putting funds toward sterilization programs.

Ahead of the World Cup, Umansky, like others, isn’t confident that the Russian government will act differently this time.

“During the Olympics, they would leave the dead dogs out on the streets,” Umansky said. “They’re still doing the same thing, but have learned from the negative media attention that they need to clean up the bodies.”

The body of a Russian street dog with an empty syringe found nearby | Instagram/Stop Bloody FIFA 2018

Although Russian officials have announced that funds have been allocated to set up shelters in World Cup host cities, many advocates are concerned that animals will be euthanized after a few days there.

And since many Russian citizens aren’t interested in adoption, overcrowded shelters mean an uncertain future for the dogs.

“It’s likely that the shelter money is really going to these extermination companies,” Umansky said. “The Cup is being hosted in very spread-out areas and I think they’ll being much sneakier than last time.”

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A stray dog on the street in Russia | Wikimedia Commons

While the Olympics never officially addressed the dog killings in 2014, FIFA announced that it does not condone cruel treatment of wild and stray animals and would be monitoring the appearance of stray animals around the stadiums.

There are no federal laws in Russia that protect animals — which leaves most protection work to independent rescue groups. Sochi Dogs has already outlined a course of action for the World Cup, which includes adopting out dogs currently in its shelter to create space and coordinating with rescue groups located in each host city to share advice and resources.

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Two rescued strays at the Sochi Dogs shelter | Sochi Dogs

Macdonald will continue sharing the stories of his two rescued Olympic dogs, now known globally as “The Sochi Pups.” Now 4 years old, Jake and Mishka have become international ambassadors for Russia’s strays.

Macdonald is hopeful that public pressure will grow around the issue as concerns continue circulating in the media.

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Jake (left) and Mishka now | Robin Macdonald

“I think the government there missed an amazing opportunity to show off their stray dog population during the Olympics,” Macdonald said. “The tourists there were loving those dogs and it would have been great for them to make arrangements to get those dogs off the streets and into those people’s homes. But they just wanted to get rid of the dogs because they they were an ‘eyesore.’ They shouldn’t miss the opportunity this time.”

To support the rescue of more strays in Russia, you can make a donation to Sochi Dogs. You can also sign this petition.

To keep up with Jake and Mishka’s adventures, follow them on Instagram.