Media Statement re: PETA’s Efforts to End Wild Dog Killings in Sochi

For Immediate Release:
February 6, 2014

Contact:
PETA 202-483-7382

Mr. Putin underestimates the ill will that he is creating among visitors, athletes, and international spectators who love dogs. Although Russia has reportedly spent more than $50 billion in preparation for hosting the Winter Olympics, street dogs in Sochi, who have a hard enough time as it is, are being hunted down and killed because Russia cannot be bothered to spend the money to help them get out of the way of tourists and construction. As PETA Germany explained in letters sent to Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov in April and again this week, rounding up and killing dogs through such barbaric methods as poisoning is shameful and inappropriate for a country trying to hold itself up as progressive. It will also do nothing to solve the problem of the stray-dog population. The only civilized way to address any problem with street dogs in Russia is to stop more puppies from being born by implementing a comprehensive spay-and-neuter program. PETA urges sports fans to contact their Russian Embassy and demand an end to the massacre, which is tainting this celebration of sports with the blood of thousands of innocent animals.