It seems as though it was just yesterday that the world was tuning in to watch history being made at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Unfortunately at that time, there was also another side story that was making headlines regarding the Olympics, and it had to deal with the stray dog population that was occurring in Sochi. Stray dogs were overpopulating the streets in the city, and rather than finding these pups homes, they were being caught and slaughtered to “help” decrease the population. As this cruelty came into light, many Olympians and other individuals made it their goal to help rescue these innocent creatures, and in this article, we are going to take a look at how these rescued pups are doing today, four years after they were saved.
The most well known of the individuals to have rescued dogs from Sochi during the Winter Olympics was that of Gus Kenworthy, who ended up saving his dog Mamuchka, along with her litter from the streets of the city and from being recklessly killed. However, Kenworthy was not the only individual to do their part in protecting these dogs, as other affiliates of the Games, such as Lindsey Jacobellis (who is a snowboardcrosser in the Olympics) and Amanda Bird (a marketing and communications director for the US bobsled team) also saved dogs from the streets at the time. There was also a slew of other individuals who did their part to rescue a great deal of animals that had been roaming the streets for quite some time.
The uproar regarding the dog population in the former Olympic host city and the cruelty they were conducting first began back in December of 2013, as news was coming about that officials were catching and poisoning these stray animals in order to reduce the population that was roaming the streets. In fact, there had been many onlookers and other witnesses who attested to seeing these animals die right in front of them after having strange behavior. Upon further investigation, veterinarians in Sochi confirmed that the dogs were be poisoned to some degree. Officials for the Olympics, at the time, were saying that the goal was to keep all stray animals away from Olympic Park; However, it was never confirmed by these officials the measures that they were taking to keep the city and the Park to that standard.
Needless to say, so many individuals from all over the world took charge and helped to protect the innocent lives of the stray and neglected animals. Now, four years after their rescue, these dogs are prospering and are finding new happiness in the lives that they have come to find. This story can help to open the eyes of so many across the nation and the world, as there are still problems with overpopulation in animal shelters all over. You can do your part to help an innocent animal, and give them the forever homes and the loving lives that they so desperately deserve. You can find more information online or at your local animal shelter.
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