(Image source from: photos.lci.fr)

A picture taken by residents of the city of Dzerzhinsk has been going viral all over the internet. The picture shows a pack of stray dogs with bright blue fur, spotted in the snow.

While some have been seeing this as a joke, some people have been expressing their concerns for the animals. The pictures have actually triggered a variety of reactions online.

Some Russians in the area have spotted the canines near an abandoned factory in Dzerzhinsk. They believe either the dogs are a part of a cruel prank done by people or that they got the strange coloring from too much exposure to chemical waste from a nearby abandoned factory.

According to one local Russian Newspaper, The Moscow Times, the dogs might have been exposed to chemicals such as plexiglass and hydrocyanic acid from the factory.

The factory closed down due to financial constraints six years ago.

Users from all over world have been sharing pictures of the dogs on social media, calling them smurfs, like the all blue animated characters.

By Meena Atmakuri