Blue dogs generally aren’t a thing seen outside of cartoons. However, in a bizarre case of life imitating art, a number of strays have been found miles apart in parts of Russia - each one bearing an improbable blue hue.
The first case was seen when around seven dogs with blue fur were spotted near a disused glass factory in the town of Dzerzhinsk, near Nizhny Novgorod.
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It has been theorized that the dogs got this way by rolling around in blue dye produced near the plant, which had been producing acrylic glass and prussic acid.
However, vets near the area found the dogs to be happy and healthy, despite their somewhat unorthodox appearance. Even so, they’re still being monitored, as it’s also possible that the superficial changes may have been produced by chemicals like copper sulphate, which could have a longer-term effect.
This wasn’t the end of the saga. More recently, several dogs near the industrial town of Podolsk (459 kilometers from where the other dogs were found) were seen - this time with a bit of a green sheen.
Again they were examined, and again they were found to be healthy, so there doesn’t seem to be an immediate cause for concern. Vice even reports that some of the dogs have actually found new homes, so there’s a happy ending somewhere down the line.
Even so, it does pose some questions and concerns for the dogs’ future welfare. Dogs rolling around in chemicals - whatever their composition - doesn’t exactly strike us as the safest-sounding thing. While the dogs are in good condition now, they’ll have to be monitored closely in the future.
And it goes without saying - do not try this at home. We doubt your loyal companion will appreciate being sprayed or painted a different color. These dogs may seem happy enough, but your pet won’t be best pleased.
