Is it a smurf? Nope. It’s a blue dog.
Residents of Dzerzhinsk, Russia, have demanded answers from authorities after a pack of bright blue dogs were spotted near a derelict chemical factory.
The photos of the mysterious canines were posted to a Russian online social media platform by Alekseї Ganine, prompting confusion, concern, and comedic remarks from other users.
As the strange pictures circulated around the internet, so did the demand for answers.
Ganine spotted the pooches near Dzerzhinskoye Orgsteklo, a network of chemical factories that have been dormant since 2015 and many believe that they’ve been exposed to a chemical compound.
One of the strongest theories that could explain why the dogs are so blue is that they might have rolled in copper sulfate; a neon blue ingredient used in the manufacturing of plexiglass and hydrocyanic acid, which one of the factories once produced.
Speaking about poor pooches, Andrey Mislivets, the bankruptcy manager of Dzerzhinskoye Plexiglas, didn’t appear to want to get involved in helping the dogs. He said, “I cannot bear the costs of capturing homeless animals and their sterilization.”
Dzerzhinsk city Officials didn’t seem too bothered either, they said, “According to preliminary visual inspection, the dogs are in satisfactory condition. Specialists will enter the chemical factory grounds and find and examine the animals.”
Animal rights activists aren’t happy at all about the lack of intervention and Kelly O’Meara, the Humane Society International’s vice president of companion animals said that there was “an obvious welfare issue.”
O’Meara added, “The dye on their fur implies they have had direct contact with or even ingestion of potentially toxic or harmful substances. This could result in painful skin burning or itching or internal bleeding and illness that could lead to death, without veterinary intervention.”
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Even though the mystery hasn’t been solved, because of the international attention the pack received, two of the dogs have been adopted and are settling into a new home.
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