Last week, residents of Dzerzhinsk, Russia, spotted in a dazzling sight as a bright blue dog wandered the streets near an abandoned chemical plant. Users took to twitter to share pictures of Striking Mind, which quickly went viral through social media. The dogs first posted on the Russian social media site VK.com before becoming more prevalent on Twitter.
While this may seem like a sci-fi, radiation-induced mutation, there are explanations that are more tragic. The dogs appeared to be living in the surrounding area under stress that come contact with toxic chemicals leaked from a nearby factory. Previously owned by Orgsteklo, which went bankrupt in 2015, the factory is a complex part of an abandoned building that produces plexiglass and hydrocyanic acid. Possibly the dogs came in contact with the copper sulfate used in the production, which has a pale-blue color, killing their fur in the process.
“Homeless dogs are rampant across the region. Presumably, they found some chemical residue in a building – copper sulfate, for example, had rolled into it. Several years ago, I heard, noticed that some dogs painted in some unnatural colors. They found something no one controlled them. I cannot afford to disinfect homeless animals and their disinfection, “Andrea Mislivets, manager of Plexiglas Bankruptcy in Dzerzhinskoye, told Rhea Novosti in the newsletter.
Authorities in the Dzerzhinskoye region have had some discussions with Orgsteklo, who owns the complex so they can detain the dog to ensure their well-being. These chemicals can pose a serious risk to their health, so either ingestion or euthanasia needed to stop this cruelty. One week after the first report, animal welfare respondents gathered the dog and gave it a shelter. Experts believe that these chemicals will damage the dogs ’skin, but after testing by veterinary staff, all seven dogs were in good health. In even better news, two of the dogs have found a home, according to Rhea Novosti on Twitter.
Only the latest painted dogs not found. The phenomenon of the presence of mysterious colors in isolated dogs has revealed more than once in the past years, especially the bright blue dogs of 2017 in Mumbai.
A local company was spreading the colors in the Kasandi River, showing a local outrage that 11 stray dogs had painted. After a brief investigation, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board shut down the plant to prevent further pollution.
