Dogs in Istanbul
I went to Istanbul for a week and noticed A LOT of stray dogs that live amongst the people. Naturally, I took a ton of photos and wanted to share them with you all. I also spotted a few Kangals. I really liked a lot of the dogs there.
I think these guys were breeders of Kangals.. Not sure what their purpose for having them was. Their bark was menacing! I was on top of the Castle of the Seven Towers
The salesperson (some local trying to sell people on an Istanbul tour) overheard me saying that these dogs had behavioral problems. He told me I was incorrect and continued to reflect light on the ground, trying to amuse the tourists and the dogs. I felt bad for the dogs because they kept running after every reflected light or shadow.
I wanted to take this white dog home. One of the locals said he was a stray and I was free to take him if I wanted.
And this was a common sight. I'm surprised nothing happened to any of the dogs.
I think these guys were breeders of Kangals.. Not sure what their purpose for having them was. Their bark was menacing! I was on top of the Castle of the Seven Towers
The salesperson (some local trying to sell people on an Istanbul tour) overheard me saying that these dogs had behavioral problems. He told me I was incorrect and continued to reflect light on the ground, trying to amuse the tourists and the dogs. I felt bad for the dogs because they kept running after every reflected light or shadow.
I wanted to take this white dog home. One of the locals said he was a stray and I was free to take him if I wanted.
And this was a common sight. I'm surprised nothing happened to any of the dogs.
Comments
I saw some pics of the dogs being teargassed during the protests, which was sad.
I can now tell people how teargas tastes like.
People in Turkey loves dogs and will feed them... Just no one wants to keep them. Most people live in apartments and I was told it's very difficult and expensive to keep a dog.
I did not see any skinny dogs or cats. I wanted to take home a kangal. I did meet a professor that would help me import one when I'm really serious
http://northeasternuniversityjournalism2011.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/some-try-to-limit-the-number-of-strays-in-the-city-by-spaying-and-neutering-but-150000-still-roam-the-streets/
Most of her experience with dogs in Turkey was with military dogs - Kangal (and possibly Boz?) dogs that were able to look down into the cars going into base.
Street dogs are a common sight in the city. The tags in the ear mean the dog has been vaccinated and altered. It is mainly done for safety reasons (for humans), but it is also good for the dogs. You actually do not see many underweight animals. They will hang out near trash cans, get fed by kids (and kids at heart), and also can follow their noses to the many local restaurants.
FYI, keeping a dog in your home is a foreign concept to most Turks. Keeping dogs in the home has been gaining popularity though, usually in the big cities. In the rural areas, most dogs stay outside... kind of like most people here don't keep horses in the house.
@Zinja - thanks for the taste of home!
Poor puppies. Some people setup stations in Kabatas (close to Taksim) where they had special solutions to flush out the teargas. (image was taken from a news site)
edit: Does anyone know what type the bordercollie looking dogs in my original post was? They were fairly big, probably 90lbs. I only had my fisheye lens and didn't get very close.
I read "Kadar" which is "Thank you" in Turkish.. I was surprised I remembered it.
A lot of people abuse the homeless dogs. (At least, outside Istanbul; and mostly done by children or teens really) - But, then, I think this is also to do with culture and history of certain places. I understand that many Turks probably value cats more than dogs. Of course, that can all change, many young Turks are very prosperous and modern.
I really hate going to places with stray animals (cats and dogs), but then, I understand at the same time why they're strays (or, the mentality that people have to release dogs/cats outside. The idea that the climate is warm and therefore they can survive off the land, etc.) I'll meet people with that kinda mentality here too, which annoys me. I guess I have a hard time seeing any animal on the street, to be honest. Last night there was a cat fight in my front yard!! My friends always complain that I don't let my cat out when he is moaning to go out...hmm, maybe cos I don't want him to get into fights!?
It's hard. I remember in Chile, there was this white Molossus dog that I fed bits of lunch meat too, I nicknamed him Rocky (cos he was muscular and had some scars on his face). He was a sweetheart but I noticed the dogs were actually hiding the meat I was giving them, probably saving it for when they really needed it!
Kinda cool that these dogs figured out that the centre is full of people willing to feed them. Maybe it's the same everywhere else in the world with stray dog population?