The 2014 Sochi Olympics have been very controversial. Russia has been heavily criticized for its stance on LGBT rights, and now they are receiving negative criticism from animal rights activists. In an effort to “clean up” the city of Sochi, the government has sanctioned the killing of stray dogs. It is not uncommon for Countries to take extensive measures to look good in front of the world when hosting international events such as the Olympics and the World cup. However, many times their efforts backfire and they receive criticism from local and worldwide communities. For example, in Brazil people are angry the government is spending so much money on the world cup when the country is struggling economically. Hosting an international event can bring great pride to a country, but it can also bring shame and embarrassment. Many local citizens in Sochi condemn the killing of these stray dogs. Activists say the methods of killing the dogs, which include shooting or poisoning them, is inhumane.
The Government is concerned with the amount of stray dogs, as they can be troublesome during the olympics. They often wonder into events and there is the possibility they’ll bite or attack someone. Many feel the government isn’t doing enough to find alternative methods of dealing with their stray dog problem. There aren’t many shelters being built and its no surprise; after all, its much easier to shoot 100 dogs than to build a shelter to house and feed them. Even though hundreds of dogs have disappeared from the streets, russian officials assure that only sick dogs are being killed. In my opinion, this is a hard issue to solve; even though i don’t agree with Russia’s methods, ideally there also can’t be hundreds of stray dogs roaming the streets. But maybe if it wasn’t for the rush and commotion to prepare for the olympics, some of these dogs may have gotten a second chance.