The Dogs of Moscow

Dogs in Moscow are ubiquitous, whether they are homeless or housebroken. Those who live on the streets can be found on almost every corner looking for food; those who have owners, like this dachshund near a pond in the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo region of northern Moscow, have a more leisurely lifestyle.? 

A census of homeless dogs in Moscow done in 2006 estimated their number at about 26,000. The number now is closer to 30,000.? 

Many homeless dogs appear well-fed, a sign that they are? consistently? able to find food.

A 2008 article in The Washington Post about Moscow's stray dog population cited several zoologists who study the animals' behavior. One of the researchers, Andrei Povarkov, believes that strays have become master psychologists. "The dogs know Muscovites better than Muscovites know the dogs."? ? ? 

Povarkov's theory could be expanded with this dog, who apparently regards our photographers the same way celebrities feel about paparazzi.? 

Moscow's homeless canine population is full of savvy dogs; they ride the metro, they cross the street when the light changes (even though dogs are colorblind) and most impressive of all, they can survive the harsh winters.? 

The metro is a popular place for dogs in the winter because it provides some shelter from the cold. Dogs who really know their way around the city actually ride the metro cars comfortably; who would want to try to take their seats?? ? 

Officials at the Mendeleyevskaya metro station erected a bronze statue in 2007 of Malchik, or Boy, a dog who lived in the subway for three years before being stabbed to death by a female fashion model after her dog attacked the stray.? 

Laika, the first living creature to travel in space in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, was a stray dog in Moscow. After being caught with a group of other strays, she was selected and underwent a series of tests that were later used to prepare cosmonauts for their entry into space. This dog, who is apparently unfazed by Moscow's chill, could probably help prepare foreigners to visit the city in the depths of winter.? 

Charitable organizations have attempted to step in and fill the void left by inadequate city services for animals. The Bim Charity Fund runs four animal shelters, including one in the village of Khoteichi (photographed above in 2006), 100 kilometers southeast of Moscow, that houses some 600 dogs and more than 200 cats.

Nurik Turakolov, a caretaker at the Khoteichi shelter, said 10 percent of the animals in his charge (like the dog pictured above) were not mongrels, but purebred animals abandoned by their owners. The Bim Charity Fund director Darya Taraskina said purebreds often end up in the street when a breed goes out of style.

In Soviet times, homeless animals were shot, but Mayor Yury Luzhkov did away with this procedure in 2002 under pressure from animal rights groups.? 

In 2008, Moscow established a plan to neuter as many as 50,000 homeless dogs because attacks on people had started to rise; in 2007, an average of 60 Muscovites a day were bitten by dogs.? ? ? 

A stray dog catching some sun on Red Square. Two animal rights groups released a grim film of slain stray dogs in June of this year as they kicked off a campaign for a law barring the cruel treatment of animals in Russia.

City authorities have allocated 3 billion rubles ($93.8 million) for stray dogs in 2009, including for their catching, neutering and vaccination, Saveanimals.ru said, citing a May 7 City Hall order.? ? ? 

It's not uncommon to come across people begging for change with a dog in metro stations or underground street crossings; sometimes the dogs even have buckets in their mouths for people to put change in. It's rarer to come across musically inclined dogs, like the one pictured above providing vocal accompaniment to a blind accordion player near Sushchyovsky Val in northern Moscow.? 

This dog on Tverskaya Ulitsa is accompanying a person begging for change. The hat it is wearing expresses support for United Russia, the ruling political party that is headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.? ? ? 

In addition to being used as partners for panhandlers, some dogs can be bought on the streets or in the metro. This puppy was for sale with this kitten on Tverskaya Ulitsa.? ? ? 

In the first campaign of its kind, the federal government has encouraged dog owners to clean up the messes left by their dogs by setting up street dispensers with paper bags to collect the pets' feces. ??he first two street dispensers were unveiled in late June of this year near Timiryazevskaya metro station in northern Moscow.

Unlike in many European capitals, dog owners in Moscow care little to collect their pets' messes, offering a striking scene when snow melts in the spring and exposes dog feces that has accumulated over several months.? ? ? 

Many dog owners equip their pets with winter-weather gear, some more stylish than others.? ? ? 

There's even footwear for dogs to cope with the frozen ground, but this dog seems to be getting by just fine without it.? ? ? 

This dog performs for tourists on the Arbat. Pictured above is just one of many outfits it can be spotted in.? ? ? 

Sometimes, however, the only way to protect one's dog from the harsh elements of Moscow is to take matters into your own hands.? ? ? 

Many street musicians and artists in Moscow do not like being photographed, claiming that it is a violation of "author's rights." Perhaps this dog, pictured with some humans at a pond in the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo region in norther Moscow, is thinking the same thing.?