Dog Day Afternoon Commute: Canines Ride the Moscow Trains

Most of the traveling we do isn’t grand or exotic—it’s our daily commute. And after a hard day’s work, we all just want to grab a seat on the train home, space out, maybe doze off a bit. It doesn’t matter what our culture or nationality—and not even our species.

Stray dogs in Moscow have learned to use the subway to travel the city in search of food. Just like their human counterparts, they commute daily from the suburbs to the city center, where more plentiful food means more fruitful begging and scavenging. They’ve figured out ride lengths and appear to help each other to safely board trains and not miss stops.

Scientists accredit the phenomenon to the post-Soviet move of industrial complexes, where many stray dogs live, from city centers to suburbs. The dogs moved with their homes, but found food scarce. So they did what so many people around the world do—they took the train. Only they didn’t pay a fare.

As commuters, the dogs have some particular habits. They prefer front and back cars, which tend to be less crowded, and enjoy playing during their ride; they like to wait until the last moment to leap aboard the train, risking getting their tails caught in the door. And while most human commuters are concerned with tourists standing on the correct side of stairs and walkways, less savvy dogs have been known to get hopelessly confused trying to trot the wrong direction on an escalator.

Adventurous and navigationally-gifted dogs should come as little surprise for Russia. Moscow dogs have been on the forefront of canine travel since Laika was launched into space in 1957, becoming the first dog to orbit the earth. Learning to navigate a subway system? No problem.

It may be awhile before you have a four-legged passenger on your next Aeroflot flight, but should you find yourself in Moscow soon, save a seat for a hard-working, furry 9-5er – maybe even an extra bone.

[Image: bettyx1138/Flickr]