Sochi Killing Stray Dogs Ahead of the Olympic Games

A stray dog and its puppy sit behind the railings in the middle of a highway outside Sochi, Russia. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

There are already plenty of reasons to despise Vladimir Putin and his henchmen and sycophants who have organized the lead up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russian - and the International Olympic Committee that awarded the Games to Sochi in the first place - but now we can add killing dogs to the list.  Obviously, it should come as little surprise that a regime that would declare de facto war on LGBT Russians and turn a blind eye towards violence against gays  would have no qualms whatsoever about killing as many stray dogs as possible before the Games commence on Friday.  I bear no grievance towards the Russian people per se, but I continue to hope that the Sochi Games turn into an unmitigated disaster for Putin.  Here are highlights from ABC News on the effort to kill dogs:

The city of Sochi has quietly hired a private company to kill as many of its stray dogs as possible ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics, ABC News has learned. The city’s move came after it publicly backed off plans to do so last year amid outrage from animal rights groups.

The owner of the company, Alexei Sorokin, told ABC News by phone that he did not know how many dogs his company has culled so far and would not say when it was hired by the city of Sochi. He suggested the strays posed a threat to the games.  “Dogs must be taken off the streets even if that means putting them to sleep,” he added.

Sorokin said his company generally uses poisons and traps, but denied suggestions of animal cruelty. He said his company is the largest of its kind in Russia, but the practice of hunting stray dogs has become common throughout the country.

In Moscow, animal rights groups and pet owners have battled against so-called “dog hunters” — vigilantes who leave poison-laced meat in parks to kill off strays. The dog hunters say the strays are dangerous and have to be taken off the streets.

Sorokin also displayed a clear disdain for the strays.  “Let’s call things by their real name. These dogs are biological trash,” he said.

The homeless canines are a visible presence all around the city, as they are throughout Russia, where sterilization is not common and some owners simply abandon the animals in the street.

The mayor’s office did not respond to calls by ABC News seeking comment.

I guess in the minds of Putin gays are also "biological trash" that needs to be exterminated.  Putin and his thugs are truly miserable excuses for human beings.  I'd suggest that they are the true biological trash.