What You Can Do To Save Sochi’s Stray Dogs

Dog lovers around the world have been itching to help stray dogs in Sochi, Russia, this week, when news broke that the animals were being targeted by an extermination program run by the local authorities. Dogs are being trapped and poisoned in preparation for the Olympic Games -- a method that could be avoided by using more humane ways of dealing with the animals, like creating shelters, vaccinating and spaying or neutering the animals. While shelters in Sochi are working tirelessly to take in all the strays they can and some in Russia are even adopting the pups themselves, there are a few ways you can help them, too. Here is everything you can do to help Sochi's dogs:

Send an email to the City of Sochi, asking them to use measures like sterilization and trap-neuter-release programs to control the stray dog populations.

Humane Society International (HSI) is asking people to send letters to President Putin, asking him to implement a city-wide humane mass dog sterilization program.

There are several petitions you can sign to ask Putin to end the extermination -- Change.org, One Green Planet and Care2 each have their own.

Learn more and spread awareness -- the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has been campaigning to end inhumane animals culls in Sochi and elsewhere for years. Visit their site to learn more about humane solutions or to support their work.

Put pressure on Sochi's authorities by spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter using the tag #SaveSochiStrays.

HSI is also working on finding ways for people to adopt Sochi's dogs -- we will update this post with any developments on adoptions.

Tweet and Instagram your #SaveSochiStrays photos and comments to be featured on The Dodo.