All Dogs Are Being Collected Across Turkey — No One Is Safe
Turkey’s National Crisis
Turkey is facing a national crisis. Across the country, dogs are being swept from the streets in vast numbers, regardless of whether they are healthy, cared for, sterilised, or part of a community. What was once a system built on compassion and coexistence has collapsed into a blanket campaign of collection. No dog is safe, and the very soul of Turkey’s relationship with its street animals is under threat.
Empty Streets
Across Turkey, the streets are falling silent. Where once there were the familiar wagging tails of neighbourhood dogs, they are absent. From Istanbul to small rural towns, dogs of every kind—young, old, sick, healthy, sterilised, unsterilised—are being collected and taken away.
What Was Promised
The law in Turkey set out that dogs taken from the streets would be given proper care in shelters, with the aim of finding them safe and loving homes. It was meant to be a system built on compassion—ensuring that no dog was left hungry, sick, or without a future.
But in reality, this promise has been broken. Adoption has been restricted in many Turkish shelters, with endless barriers placed between families who want to give a dog a home and the dogs who desperately need one. In some shelters, adoptions have been banned altogether. Instead of being rehomed, dogs languish behind bars, waiting for a chance that never comes.
The Heartbreak of Communities
Across the country, families watch helplessly as their street companions vanish. Children ask where their friend has gone, unable to understand why the dog that walked them to school every day is suddenly gone. Elderly people sit alone on benches where a dog once rested at their feet. These animals were not just “strays”—they were guardians, companions, cherished members of the community.
Shelters Overwhelmed
Turkeys shelters, already bursting at the seams, cannot cope with the sheer numbers forced through their gates. For the dogs, this means overcrowding, fear, and suffering. For the people who loved them, it means heartbreak and loss.
A Broken System
This was never the intent. The system in Turkey was supposed to ensure care, protection, and new beginnings. But what is happening now is the wholesale removal of dogs, sent into shelters where their chances of ever finding a family are slim—or, in some places, impossible. The dream of safety and adoption has been replaced by confinement and despair.
Istanbul’s New Directive: A Stark Example
On August 21, 2025, Istanbul’s governor issued a directive to local authorities: collect all stray dogs—especially from school zones and crowded public areas—to maintain public health, order, and safety. The order stresses urgency and instructs collection under current regulations.
This is not about selective protection—it’s blanket removal, regardless of each dog’s circumstances or its relationship with its community.
A Call for Compassion
We cannot stay silent as Turkeys communities are stripped of their beloved dogs. Every life matters. Every dog taken leaves behind a void in someone’s world.
Speak Up for the Dogs
We must speak up. We must share their stories. We must remind the world that compassion and coexistence are possible—and that Turkeys dogs deserve more than to vanish, unseen and unheard.
Sign the Petition — Speak Up for the Dogs
Now is the time to act. We must raise our voices together and demand a humane, compassionate approach for Turkeys dogs.
👉 Sign our petition today and help us show that the people of Turkey—and the world—stand against the mass collection and confinement of dogs.
Together, we can push for real change, protect the animals we love, and build a future where compassion leads the way.