Great Article on Volunteers Rescuing Dogs in Sochi

Photo credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

This is probably one of the best ledes ever written about rescuing dogs in an in-over-its-head Olympic city:

The purple Chrysler PT Cruiser sped through the night, barreling around rain-slicked hairpin curves on a clandestine rescue mission. It was 3 a.m. Ahead glared the harsh lights of a security check point. Sochi was 60 miles behind. This was the outer edge of the“Ring of Steel” guarding the Olympics, and the Chrysler was aiming to get past it, to break free into the vast Russian countryside that lies beyond.

The back of the car was crowded with uneasy, bewildered passengers. Most were drooling out of anxiety. One had thrown up several times, but at this moment of truth she reassuringly laid her right front paw on the shoulder of the human sitting in front of her.

The car sped past the police.

Six more lives were saved.

Brilliant.

Will Englund of the Washington Post on the volunteers rescuing dogs in Sochi.

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As many have pointed out to me, there are specific instructions in this USA Today article about how to adopt a stray from Russia. Basically, you have to fly over there and get it yourself. My offer still stands, but, quite honestly, it sounds like these dogs are well looked after and a donation would be better served going to dogs over here.*

*Don’t worry. We’re still saving dogs. Each year at Christmas, on one side of my family, in lieu of a pollyanna, everyone donates money to a charity of someone’s choosing. This year was my turn and I chose a dog rescue. I’m lazy, so the money is still sitting in a pile on my nightstand (checks, thieves! checks!). If it doesn’t get tacked on to my standing offer and go towards Sochi dogs, it’s going to save dogs here. That’s for the asshole in the comments earlier who called me “Ayn Rand.”