Homeless dogs living in Moscow have learnt to use the underground system to get about the city.They seem to spend the day in the city centre in search of food scraps but then get back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.
Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop — after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train.
The dogs seem to select the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train. They have also developed tactics to hassle humans into feeding them.
Dr Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”
The dogs have also learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow. They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas — then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.
With children the dogs “play cute” by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy — and scraps.
Dr Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.”
http://www.petstreet.co.uk/NewsStory/423145.Ingenuity%20of%20homeless%20Russian%20dogs_
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