A lot of people visit Moscow for the Kremlin, but I’d like to visit Moscow for the stray dogs.

There are 500 stray dogs that live in Moscow’s subway system, and about 20 of the most intelligent have learned how to ride the trains to get from place to place. So, if you’re touring Moscow and you line up to catch the metro, don’t be surprised if a dog boards the train with everyone else, curls up on a seat beside you and then exits at a particular station — as if he/she has some important place to be. ‘Cause maybe he/she does.

Metro dogs aren’t dummies. According to the Financial Times, they remember who’s given them food in the past, they know what time that person usually arrives at a particular subway station, and they’ll catch the metro to meet him or her there. How does the dog know when to exit the train? It’s all based on the smell and what the voice on the intercom says. Yes, metro dogs understand words.

There are about 30,000 to 35,000 stray dogs in Moscow, and they’re beloved by the Russians. In 2002, the Russians didn’t like it at all when a fashion model stabbed a metro dog to death with a kitchen knife she pulled out of her purse. Evidently, she was angry with the stray for barking at her Staffordshire terrier, according to FT. The stabbing was so brutal that she was arrested and sent to psychiatric treatment.

The stray she murdered, on the other hand, was immortalized by a statue. And metro riders rub its nose for good luck when they pass, according to ABCNews.com.

I like these metro dogs because I like dogs. A lot. But I also like this story because it’s the perfect example of why it’s worth it to travel. You go to Moscow expecting to be wowed by the Kremlin. You return with a memory of the mutt who rode the subway.

[To see pics of the mutts, visit www.metrodog.ru.]

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