Ugh. They're poisoning stray dogs in Sochi.

[cali]

<snip>

Also extremely disturbing: multiple reports out of Sochi that officials are killing off stray dogs. It's completely horrific, and stands to be a massive controversy. Yahoo Sports veteran investigative reporter Charles Robinson tweeted early Sunday about an encounter he had:

"There are several really big dogs laying on the Sochi mountain boardwalk. They don't appear to be alive. Weird."

"Apparently Sochi is indeed poisoning stray dogs and that's what I stumbled upon this morning. A pretty disturbing scene. Large dogs, too."

If true, absolutely horrific. This story could very well gain traction as we head into the week, and if that's the case, it could be as noisy a newsmaker as anything else in the lead-up to the opening ceremony.

http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/eye-on-olympics/24428281/the-biggest-storylines-of-the-2014-sochi-winter-olympics

Yes, it's true.

Sochi plans mass killing of stray dogs ahead of Winter Olympics

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/sochi-plans-mass-killing-stray-dogs-olympics-article-1.1600417#ixzz2sJDlit8S

[2naSalit]

1. On BBC today

I also heard they are releasing some into the forests and the bad thing about that is the threat to tigers.

How screwed up can it get? Not so sure I want to know. I don't have a very good feeling about this event, I get the feeling something bad on an international scale is coming.

[Brickbat]

2. When I was living in Russia, there were packs of feral dogs that roamed the streets.

At the time, animal shelters were unheard of. I can imagine people an overburdened system believing that mass extermination is the solution.

ETA: It goes to show how in some ways and in many areas, Russia is still a second-world country.

[Beringia]

3. There is a petition you can sign to Putin

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/972/019/713/2000-street-dogs-and-cats-will-be-killed-for-the-olympic-games-in-sochi-in-2014/

[kcr]

6. It won't do any good. He doesn't give a rip.

Nothing has been done about human rights violations. They won't do anything about this either. This is nothing new for the Olympics. The same thing happened in China. As long as the Olympics is corrupt, it will keep happening.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. Why don't they just pick 2 or 3 venues that have reliable snow....

and that have had the winter Olympics in the past (Salt Lake City, Vancouver, Sapporo Japan, Innsbruck, etc.) and quit with the bullshit of giving everyone a chance to have them?

Not every country deserves to have the damned Olympics, OK?

Fucking Russia is one of them.

They spent millions on the facilities in Park City, UT and they go to waste not being used for these events.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Vancouver doesn't really have reliable snow in the winter

It does get a lot of rain, though.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/10/vancouver-lacks-snow

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Well, almost all of the snow related events took place at Whistler-Blackcomb...

which is about 75 miles north.

Whistler seems to get enough snow.

Either way, you get my point.

[TheFrenchRazor]

5. f*ckers. why don't they exterminate themselves and do the rest of the world a favor. nt