Dyed and True

Colorful pooches are appearing in more than one Russian province.

On February 11th, pictures of light blue dogs wandering on the premises of a chemical plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod began circulating in local publications and on social media. Soon after, a video surfaced of a green canine tromping down a snow-covered street in the city of Podolsk.

The blue doggos were spotted near Dzerzhinsk’s plexiglass factory, formerly one of the region’s largest chemical enterprises. Stray dogs roam the area. Andrey Mislivets, the company’s bankruptcy supervisor, told RIA Novosti that the animals may have found their way into a chemical residue, perhaps copper sulfate.

However, veterinarian Mikhail Shelyakov speculated to TV Zvezda that the light blue dogs of Dzerzhinsk could not have managed to dye themselves in such a uniform way. One possibility, he claimed, is that some person may have decided to treat the dogs with a blue antiseptic medication commonly held by veterinarians.

But the green mutts, it seems, were most likely the work of some very green hairstylist. They were first reported to the Podolsk administration in January, and experts determined that the animals had been smeared with dried paint.

No need to be stricken with the blues over the fates of these colorful creatures - it's not a dog's life for every Russian pup! While the blue strays enjoy their freedom, the green beasties are all vaccinated, microchipped, and sterilized. The dye, in all accounts, is said to be nontoxic.

That's good news for some good boys!