How to Be an Animal Ally From Anywhere in the World
A Guide for International Supporters Who Want to Help Turkish Rescues
The plight of street animals in Turkey is dire and worsening. Thousands of dogs and cats live on the streets, many facing hunger, disease, abuse, and neglect. Rescue groups on the ground work tirelessly to save lives, provide medical care, and advocate for change but their work is often hampered by limited resources and increasing hostility toward animals.
If you live outside Turkey, you might wonder how you can make a real difference. The good news is that you don’t have to be there to help. With compassion, awareness, and a little action, international supporters can play a powerful role in saving lives and amplifying the voices of those working on the front line.
Here’s how you can be an animal ally from anywhere in the world.
Stay Informed and Speak Out
Knowledge is power. Understanding the challenges faced by Turkish rescues from the spread of diseases like leishmaniasis and distemper to the growing tide of anti-dog propaganda helps you share accurate information and counter misinformation.
Follow trusted organisations such as Dog Desk Animal Action on social media.
Share posts and stories to raise awareness about the realities animals face.
Use your voice to challenge misinformation and promote compassion wherever you can.
Even a single shared post can reach someone who’s ready to help, donate, or adopt.
Fundraise or Donate, Every Pound, Dollar, and Euro Counts
Running a rescue is expensive. Street animals often need complex surgeries, long-term medical care, and safe boarding until homes can be found. Every contribution — no matter how small helps cover the cost of food, medication, and veterinary treatment.
Ways to help financially:
Make a one-off or monthly donation.
Host a small fundraiser, a bake sale, sponsored walk, or online challenge.
Encourage your workplace or school to support Turkish animal welfare.
Even the cost of a coffee can buy a day’s food for a dog on the streets.
Foster or Adopt, Change One Life Forever
International adoptions save lives. Many animals in Turkey will never find homes locally due to prejudice against mixed-breed or disabled dogs. By adopting, you give them a future.
Adoption in Turkey is currently severely restricted, banned in some situations making adoption prospects limited but not completely impossible.
If you can’t adopt, fostering also transforms lives. Some rescues work with foster families abroad to help animals transition to home life before adoption.
Check adoption requirements carefully reputable rescues will ensure every animal is vaccinated, tested, and transported responsibly.
Share adoption appeals even if you can’t take an animal yourself. The right home might be one connection away.
Volunteer Your Skills
You don’t have to be a vet or dog handler to make a difference. Many rescues need help with online work:
Translating posts or appeals
Managing social media
Graphic design or video editing
Fundraising or grant writing
Administrative support
If you have a skill, there’s a way to use it to help.
Be a Voice for Change
Rescue work in Turkey isn’t just about saving individual animals, it’s also about changing the system that allows suffering to continue. Laws are weakly enforced, and cruelty often goes unpunished. International attention matters.
By speaking out on social media or supporting petitions that call for reform, you help keep pressure on policymakers and raise global awareness.
Change takes time, but public scrutiny saves lives.
Sign our petition here
Support Education and Compassion
Long-term change begins with empathy. Supporting education projects that teach compassion toward animals especially in schools helps build a more humane future.
You can:
Fund educational outreach programmes run by rescues.
Encourage friends and family to see Turkish street dogs not as pests, but as victims in need of kindness.
Stay Connected and Keep Hope Alive
It can be heart breaking to see so much suffering. But remember every rescued animal, every donation, every act of kindness counts. Turkish rescuers are often exhausted and overwhelmed, but international solidarity keeps them going.
Follow updates, celebrate successes, and stay engaged. Your compassion truly reaches across borders.
Together, We Are Stronger
Animal rescue knows no borders. Whether you’re in London, Lisbon, or Los Angeles, your actions ripple outward and change lives in Turkey. By standing with those who fight for animals every day, you become part of a global movement for kindness, justice, and change.