Why Was An Eighteen Year Old Dog Taken From The Only Home She Had Ever Known - Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey
An elderly dog is said to have been taken from a residential complex in Tuzla, Istanbul, where she had been living with carers, even though a woman made desperate efforts to prevent her being removed.
The footage of the incident is extremely hard to watch; when the officials are trying to take the old dog, the woman sits down on the ground, puts her arms around it and won’t let go, asking them to leave her alone. She says that the dog has not harmed anyone and stays there, continually questioning why they are treating an animal of such advanced age in this way.
There is a moment when an official is seen having a catchpole attached to the dog while the woman still holds on to it. She is told to move her hand and is informed that she can make any complaints to the police, but she continues to appeal on the dog’s behalf and asks, “Why are you bothering an old dog?”
The dog was taken.
Reports along with the footage state that when the incident occurred the woman who had tried to protect her was sprayed directly in the eyes with pepper spray and was then taken to hospital by ambulance. There are also claims that the female volunteers were pushed and physically restrained. Although these claims have not yet been independently verified, there is no doubt that the footage shows a high level of distress.
It has currently been reported that the elderly dog was taken to the Kısırkaya shelter and that an urgent appeal has been launched to have someone retrieve her and give her a home.
It is quite difficult to see a senior dog being taken away from all the things she knows. and watching her carer sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around this elderly dog begging & pleading is heart breaking. You might think “why could the woman not just take her to safety”
If only it were that simple.
Many apartments have strict no pet clauses. Turkey is not a nation known for its love of animals in the same way as the UK & other parts of the world. There are far fewer homes for dogs & with 4 million stray dogs needing to find safety right now those homes available are under enormous pressure.
One of the frustrations in Turkey is that we are told how many dogs have been collected, how many are still on the streets and how many shelter spaces and so called natural living areas have been established, yet these figures do not show the individual animals whose lives are being greatly altered. We saw that today with this elderly dog. And we saw the effect her removal had on a genuinely kind animal loving citizen.
When it comes to making decisions about individual dogs, allowances should be made for welfare and common sense. The age of the dog is important, as is its health and its temperament; it also matters whether the animal is in fact causing a problem and the fact that people have been looking after it too should be taken into account.
To remove an elderly dog from her usual surroundings and put her into a big shelter is by no means a minor thing in her life. Old dogs are especially susceptible to sudden changes in their environment and daily routine, and every attempt should definitely be made to avoid causing unnecessary distress since there is already a safe community arrangement available.
And why take her anyway?
She is old, docile & being cared for. Why could she not be left where she was for the last few remaining months of her life?
We should therefore like to find out why it had been thought necessary to remove this particular dog. Was there a complaint made against her? Had she ever done any harm to anyone? Was her age and physical condition looked at before she was taken in? Was it taken into account that she was being looked after? What evaluation was carried out as to the welfare effects of taking an animal of this age into a shelter?
We should also have the allegations about the way in which people who tried to prevent her removal were treated clarified, including the one that a woman was pepper sprayed and had to receive hospital treatment.
Although the questions do need answering, there is a far more urgent concern. It is said that the dog is currently at Kısırkaya and citizens are desperately seeking someone who will be able to take her out and find her a safe place to spend the rest of her life.
We do not doubt our friends in Turkey, not for a second. They will rescue this old girl but there is something we fear.
Will they be able to get her out in time?