Moscow Metro Dogs

I may be more fond of cats but I'm a huge dog lover too! Since I'm recycling this post, here's what I had to say two years ago when I used to stay in Bombay - There are five stray dogs who live right outside my house and the leader of the pack - an adorable affectionate and  hyperactive mongrel I call Jumpy, really makes my day. Every morning he follows me to the main gate which I must open and wait for him to cross over, only then does he give me permission to walk out and head to work. And the evenings are the opposite where he sits behind the gate waiting for me to open it, while he waits for me to enter, squealing, whining and jumping on me a million times till I don't pet him and he doesn't calm down. Thus, the name Jumpy. Its really nice to come home to a happy and excited animal. The funny thing with him is when he whines and cries and I mimic him, he keeps going on and on carrying out a conversation in doggie language with me. Nevertheless, I have had a long affectionate one sided conversation with him in English after too much wine.

Anyway, this is something I've known for a while but I though I should share with you. Moscow has a huge number of stray dogs, but a small number of them have figured out how to navigate the subway system.

Biologists say these dogs have figured out that taking the subway is a fast and convenient way to get from place to place. They also have a good sense of time which helps them not to miss their destination. Also, they often choose the last or the first metro car as those are usually less crowded. If they’re traveling in pairs or groups, one dog generally stays awake if the others are snoozing, and wakes them up when they reach their station.

ABC News found a female stray in the Kievskaya station, and followed her as she zipped between the legs of the bustling travelers around her to catch a ride on the Koltsevaya Line. Once aboard, she settled down on the floor among the feet and legs, even dozed a bit, and occasionally got up to mingle with friendly humans. 

These metro dogs have not only mastered getting into or out for trains, but, as observed by Ecologists,  they have also started playing games like jumping into the train just seconds before the doors shut for fun.  

Another skill they have developed is that they cross the road on the green traffic light. “They don’t react on color, but on the picture they see on the traffic light”, a Moscow scientist said. 

There is also a touching story about a stray mongrel called Malchik who lived at the Mendeleyevskaya station on the Moscow Metro for about three years. Malchick was a popular station ‘resident’ among rail employees and commuters, and territorially protected the station from drunks and other dogs. He was killed when a 21-year-old woman Yulia Romanova stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Later it was revealed that Romanova has a long history of cruelty to animals and psychiatric treatment. The incident sparked a wave of public outrage regarding the treatment of animals, and, in 2007, a monument was erected in Malchik’s honour at Mendeleyevskaya station. Passersby now rub the Malchik's shiny bronze nose for good luck. More on the monument HERE and HERE.

Malchik's statue

Are you a dog lover too? Aren't the Moscow Metro Dogs so cool?