Moscow's Canine Commuters: A Tough Life?

The other day I ran across a story about those famous stray dogs that hang out in the Moscow subways. My first reaction was to admire the pluck and courage of these canines, but as I delved more deeply into it, it made me very sad to discover that many folks consider this rather amusing.

There are already several videos of these dogs uploaded to You Tube under the category of "Jokes". As far as I am concerned there is nothing funny about the difficult existence and unpredictable lives these intelligent and plucky dogs must live. Their struggle only serves to demonstrate their undaunting spirit, facing each day as a new challenge. I could only feel a deep concern and admiration for their courage and will to survive under very difficult circumstances.

In the article published by EnglishRussia.com, the headline read: "Stray dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps."

According to the article, these dogs board the "Tube" each morning, jump off at a familiar station stop, make their way up to the Moscow streets to beg and scavenge for food. They have developed special tactical skills in order to effectively "hustle" people for a handout.

Once they are finished with their daily quest, they descend back into the bowels of the city returning to the subway cars where they spend the night, sleeping on seats or in protected corners of the subway cars. Interestingly, they prefer to choose the quietest cars in the front or back of the train, working together in the morning to make sure they get off at the right stop. They also have learned to judge their timing impeccably so they wake up at the precisely correct hour, almost all the time.

The reason for this unusual canine behavior, according to scientists who have studied them, may have started after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, with Russia's new capitalists moving from the industrial complexes in the center of the city to the suburbs.

One of the scientists, Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute said, "These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses. Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway -- to get to the centre in the morning, then back home in the evening, just like people."

From Dr. Poiarkov's observations, he suspects that these dogs actually seem to enjoy their daily routine, and appear to like commuting. He added, "They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop."

These clever canine commuters have also learned how to cross roads safely by observing traffic lights. Dr. Poiarkov claims they also use "cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of their favorite treats, Shawarma, a kebob-like snack very popular with Moscow residents. They sneak up behind any unsuspecting person eating one . . . barking loudly to distract them, forcing them to drop the tidbit. They have also mastered the skill of playing "cute dog" with children, staring into their eyes, looking doleful to gain their sympathy. He said, "Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists."

But I am not convinced that these dogs are happy and healthy subway riders. It seems to me that perhaps Dr. Poiarkov may be anthropomorphizing and is projecting his personal interpretation on the dog's behavior. I think it has to be a very difficult and dangerous means of survival for the Moscow strays.

What do you think? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Photo Credits: EnglishRussia.com