This Man Is Rescuing Stray Dogs From Alleged Extermination In Sochi

This Man Is Rescuing Stray Dogs From Alleged Extermination In Sochi

In January, news broke that an extermination company was hired to kill stray dogs in Sochi, Russia, in the weeks leading up to the Winter Olympics.

"Dogs must be taken off the streets," Alexei Sorokin, the owner of the company, told ABC News, "even if that means putting them to sleep."

Several online petitions -- including one from Change.org -- have surfaced to stop the alleged mass killings, despite the Olympic committee's claim that the dogs are merely being relocated, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Igor Ayrapetyan disagrees with officials. He's doing everything he can to get these dogs off Sochi's streets, too. But he's bringing them to Moscow, the Moscow Times reported, where they'll be safe.

Ayrapetyan, 41, traveled to Sochi, packed 11 stray dogs in his SUV and took them back to his home in Moscow, where he began finding volunteers to take them in, according to the paper. He created a Facebook page documenting his trip and now provides updates for the dogs he's rescued.

Ayrapetyan is not the only person working to protect stray dogs in Sochi.

Vlada Provotorova, a local dentist, also recruited friends to pick up as many stray dogs as possible and bring them to shelters, the Boston Globe reported.

"I felt like I had to do something," she told the paper.

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