In Sochi, some dogs are hanging out in hotels, some are being befriended by journalists.
And some are being "taken into custody" — or are being exterminated. The International Olympic Committee says the only dogs that are being killed are sick strays, though the director of a pest-control firm told the Associated Press that his company had a contract to exterminate stray dogs throughout the Olympics.
This isn't the first time a city has scrambled to deal with stray dogs before hosting the Games — it was reported in 2004 that thousands of stray dogs in Athens would be poisoned. And an animal-rights activist told the AP that the pest-control company kills hundreds of dogs a month.
There do appear to be thousands of stray dogs in Sochi. And while the practice of shooting stray dogs is not uncommon in some Russian regions, the AP says, the animals are also appreciated in the country. There's even a statue to a stray dog at a Moscow subway station. Maybe one of these dogs will get the same kind of appreciation?
SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 05: A stray dog walks through Olympic Park ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on February 5, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Getty Images)
A dog basks in the sun as athlete take part in an unofficial cross-country training session at the Laura Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Centre in Rosa Khutor, near Sochi, on February 5, 2014. The Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 officially opens on February 7th. AFP PHOTO/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEVKIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images/AFP/Getty Images)
A dog lies in the sun, as an unofficial cross-country training session takes place at the Laura Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Centre in Rosa Khutor, near Sochi, on February 5, 2014. AFP PHOTO/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEVKIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images/AFP/Getty Images)
A stray dog lies on the grass in front of the Bolshoy Ice Dome at the Olympic Park in the Adler district of Sochi February 5, 2014. Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games from February 7 to February 23. Residents say thousands of dogs have disappeared from the streets of Sochi since a local business won a contract to catch stray animals before the Games, which open on Friday. Although some can still be seen wandering the streets, including close to some of the sports venues, reporters and local residents say there have been fewer each day. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh (RUSSIA - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS ANIMALS) (Reuters/REUTERS)