A very interesting take on the Sochi Olympics - "ALL THAT WE'RE LEAVING BEHIND ..."

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/olympics/article/10507663/espnw-winter-games-what-leaving-sochi

By Bonnie D. Ford | Feb 23, 2014

"SOCHI, Russia -- The dogs of Sochi, mute and soulful, crystallized my uneasiness about these Olympic Games.

I encountered them every day that I walked the path paralleling the Black Sea behind our media housing complex. Some I got to know: adorable, velvet-faced puppies that toddled toward me and boisterous grown dogs traveling in packs of two or three, mutts with glossy coats and bright eyes and others that looked wounded in one way or another. One little blond dog with a fox's narrowed nose and a curlicue tail came when I beckoned, jumped up and put his paws on my thigh, close enough for me to see a torn ear and semi-fresh gashes on its head and leg.

You could fork out two grand and airlift a Sochi dog home with you. I thought about it, considered all the dogs and cats still being euthanized back home and decided I would make a donation to the shelter near my home outside Philadelphia instead. Then I would take another walk, see another 14 dogs and think, "What is going to happen to them?"

The Sochi Games made me think too much, in ways that were exhausting and frequently led nowhere."

____________snip_____________

much more - a worthwhile read.

Some of the comments to the article are....well, predictable, sadly. Others are quite good.

[Brickbat]

1. "The Sochi Games made me think too much, in ways that were exhausting and frequently led nowhere."

I find that that describes Russia in general, beyond the Games, quite well.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. It's nice to know at least one person thought about what they were doing.

The whole thing just seems crass and mindless to me. Waste and cruelty just to sell some McDonald's and sneakers. At least Bonnie thought about it between the last wallow and going home to cash her big check.

[malaise]

3. The best take on the stray dogs so far

Thanks

[Jenoch]

4. I sure a hell would not get close to a stray dog in Russia.

[UtahLib]

5. Being an animal lover can sometimes be heartbreaking. nt