That adds up to about 35,000 dogs roaming the streets and the subway.
An article in the Financial Times by Susanne Sternthal tells the whole story.
I moved to Moscow with my family last year and was startled to see so many stray dogs. Watching them over time, I realised that, despite some variation in colour – some were black, others yellowish white or russet – they all shared a certain look. They were medium-sized with thick fur, wedge-shaped heads and almond eyes. Their tails were long and their ears erect.
They also acted differently. Every so often, you would see one waiting on a metro platform. When the train pulled up, the dog would step in, scramble up to lie on a seat or sit on the floor if the carriage was crowded, and then exit a few stops later. There is even a website dedicated to the metro stray (www.metrodog.ru) on which passengers post photos and video clips taken with their mobile phones, documenting the savviest of the pack using the public transport system like any other Muscovite.
Click on the link in the above paragraph. Even though the page is in Cyrillic characters, the pictures really speak for themselves.
While 500 of the strays make their homes in the underground transportation system, only about 20 have learned how to use the trains to move around.
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