India, Feb. 24 -- Animal lovers in Russia are calling for the boycott of a popular pizza chain after a delivery worker in one outlet was fired for giving a blanket to a beloved stray dog in minus-20 degrees weather. The incident that began in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk has now snowballed into a matter of national importance.

The row involves Dodo Pizza, a popular pizza chain, and a dog named Dodobonya. According to a report in Grondo Plus TV, Dodobonya has been living outside a Dodo Pizza outlet in Chelyabinsk for the last one-and-a-half years.

The stray dog was looked after by employees and slept outside the shop after it closed for the day. Employees would cover it with a blanket as temperatures plunged in the Russian city. Known...