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In Nizhny Novgorgorod, a distressing case surfaced when an unidentified person tied a dog to a tree with a rope and left it outside during a heavy downpour. The report emerged in the volunteers’ community on the morning of July 9, circulating on the VKontakte group called “kind heart.”

One post described the scene bluntly: the dog was stretched under a subway bridge, drenched in the rain, and had starved for days before animal rights activists managed to intervene. The account highlighted the dog’s fear and hunger, noting that passersby could not reach the animal because it faced repeated aggressive attempts to deter contact.

Local animal welfare advocate Lara Saplina, cited by the IA source Nizhny Says, explained that the terrified animal spent long hours on a leash and could not approach people who wished to help. The dog had been secured tightly with a rope, and the incident forced activists to stay indoors for fear of further harm. The volunteers untied the dog and removed it from the exposure, reporting that the owners had subjected the pet to such treatment on multiple occasions.

Community members resolved not to return the dog to the owners after learning about the abusive training methods described by witnesses. The volunteers argued that strong fines should be imposed to deter similar mistreatment, stressing that without enforcement such acts would likely continue. Saplina expressed hope that authorities would take more decisive action, though she doubted that enforcement would be forthcoming.

Because the police in the neighboring city of Dzerzhinsk had not acted on a separate incident in which a dog was stabbed by its owner, the woman chose not to file a formal complaint about the previous owners in the internal affairs authorities. This decision reflected a broader concern about the ability of local authorities to address animal cruelty cases effectively.

Earlier in the Nizhny Novgorod district of Sormovo, residents faced another urgent situation when a bus became stuck in flood conditions, illustrating how the region can be prone to environmental hazards that compound animal welfare challenges.