Sochi, Russia (CNN) -- The Olympic city has a dog problem. Thousands of stray canines wander the streets and suburbs of Sochi. They can be seen loping through the recently completed parks and housing developments that have sprung up around what was once a sleepy Black Sea resort. In the countdown to the Winter Games, Russian animal rights activists have accused city authorities of ramping up a campaign to exterminate street dogs through the use of poison. Yulia Krasova says she witnessed the long, agonizing death of a street dog when she walked out of a movie theater in Sochi two weeks ago.
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Russian animal rights activists accuse authorities of campaign to exterminate street dogs
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Government-backed shelter met with distrust by animal rights groups
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Reports of the widespread culling of animals put city and Olympic officials on the defensive
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