In preparation for the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia has hired a private company to help cull the stray dog population before the opening ceremonies.

Dog lovers have been outraged over the program, causing a few to create emergency shelters for the strays in an effort to save them. One Russian billionaire, who, along with donating millions to the construction operations for the Sochi games, has also pledged $50,000 a year to an emergency shelter while also providing $15,000 to get it started.

The company responsible for the removal of stray dogs, Basya Services, hasn’t commented on how the dogs picked up are “disposed” of, nor does the public probably want to know.

The number of stray dogs in Sochi is unknown, but animal advocates say that about 300 dogs are killed every month.

“A dog ran into the Fisht Stadium, we took it away. God forbid something like this happens at the actual opening ceremony. This will be a disgrace for the whole country,” a Basya Service representative said.

Killing the stray dogs may seem especially cruel to Americans who care for unwanted dogs in shelters, but unlike in the United States, Russia has never pushed owners to spay or neuter their pets; quickly leading to a booming stray dog population. This increase in stray dog population, according to the director general of Basya Services, has caused many problems including dogs biting children.

Although many people are unhappy with the way in which Sochi is dealing with their stray dog population, something needed to be done. Hosting the Olympics is not an easy task, and it would be a nightmare and an embarrassment for the country if an athlete was unable to compete because of a dog bite.

Killing dogs is not a long-term solution, and who knows where the dogs being saved will be in a few years when the public’s interest in them disappears? Hopefully this dramatic, last resort style plan for dealing with the dogs will be unnecessary in the future and Russia will create a program for dog sterilization and education for dog owners.