Blanket for a stray dog costs delivery worker his job, boycott calls grow in Russia

A Russian pizza delivery chain has been widely criticised after a delivery man was fired for handing a blanket to a stray dog in sub-zero temperatures, prompting a call for a nationwide boycott.

The incident occurred in Chelyabinsk, where the temperature had plummeted to almost -20 degrees Celsius. The stray dog, known as Dodobonya, had been living outside a Dodo Pizza branch for over a year and was a familiar figure to staff and customers.

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Blanket gesture leads to dismissal

As reported by the Russian news channels Grondo Plus TV and 74RU, Dodobonya was known to sleep on the pizza parlor’s porch every night after closing. The dog would often be left food by the pizza parlor employees, who would cover it with blankets during the freezing nights. The dog gradually became the unofficial mascot of the pizza parlor.

However, this changed with the hiring of a new store manager, named Yulia, who is reported to have ordered the staff not to feed or provide shelter to the dog. Screenshots posted by former employees of the pizza parlor show a warning message from the manager that anyone caught providing shelter to the dog would be fired.

Delivery man Mikhail Savitsky, who worked for the outlet since the end of 2024, said he was fired for disobeying the instruction. Talking to 74RU, Savitsky said: “I saw the dog lying right on the snow and covered it with a blanket for a short while before going to deliver an order.

By the time I returned, I was told I was fired and removed from the delivery meeting,” Savitsky said, adding that he had made only one delivery during the shift.

Company disputes claims, public backlash grows

As the incident went viral on social media, animal rights organisations and citizens rallied around Savitsky, who was accused of being punished for compassion by the company. Hashtags urging a boycott of Dodo Pizza began trending on Russian social media sites, with many users demanding that the company’s management take responsibility for the incident.

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Dodo Pizza has denied any connection between the firing and the dog. Savitsky’s contract was terminated because of ‘documented violations’ such as tardiness, unapproved absences, and failure to adhere to the company’s code of conduct, the company stated in a press release. The company refused to comment further on the matter.

Savitsky, however, insists that the fact that he was fired so soon after the incident between Dodobonya and the manager, in which the manager issued written warnings to Savitsky, proves that he was indeed fired for the dog incident.

The dog’s future is still in limbo, although local residents are reportedly doing their best to ensure that it gets proper shelter as the temperatures continue to be life-threatening.