Chewy in Croatian woods
This week, we are heading into Turkey. We'll be in Turkey and Greece for the next three months, visiting Istanbul, Cappadocia, Bodrum, and several of the Greek islands. In Istanbul, Chewy and Abby will cross into their third continent and twelfth country; Greece with be their thirteenth country.
These are places that Patrick and I have always wanted to visit. We've heard from so many people that Turkey is their favorite country in the world and that the Greek islands are sensational. I've been planning this segment for so long, excited and exuberant about these new places we're going to visit. But, now as the time draws near for us to head into Turkey, all I can think to myself is, "Are we insane?"
You see, Turkey is notorious for its awful treatment of dogs. Perhaps in part because the Q'uran considers dogs to be unclean animals, dogs are not often accepted as family pets. I've heard reports of dogs chained outdoors in the blazing sun for days on end. Apparently, wild dogs roam the streets in packs, occasionally terrorizing people, often being terrorized themselves. There were, at one count, over 100,000 stray dogs in Istanbul and the government conducted a mass killing, feeding the dogs meatballs laced with strychnine. More recently, they stuck many of the dogs into a truck and shipped them out to a nearby forest where they now roam, breed, and live in the wild, often being hunted by the other wild animals in that forest.
I've read message board posts of neighbors who have left poisoned meat or meat stuck with needles for stray dogs and their pets to eat, hoping that the dogs will die. Humane societies are few and far between, crowded and packed with sick dogs, and there is supposed to be very little knowledge about spaying and neutering.
Abby in the sun
And, we're going to this place. I'm a bit freaked out, to be honest. We're in Bulgaria right now staying in a lovely fenced house with the untamed Greek/Turkish hills directly across from us. Though this is a poor country, the dogs here are, for the most part, in good condition. There are a few skinny strays here but, then again, there are skinny strays in every country, unfortunately. We've barely put Chewy and Abby on a leash since we've come here because there are so few people and so much open space. Abby, especially, loves being here: she lays in the sun, basking in the warmth, barking at the sheep and donkeys being herded down the hill, and eager to explore the hills everyday during our walk.
I don't know how I'm going to handle Istanbul. We've been to a lot of countries where there are stray dogs --- India, Thailand, and South Africa, for example --- but I've never imagined the numbers that people tell me we're going to see in Istanbul. In Asia, though there are strays, families and the temples will leave food for those animals and people generally ignore the strays. I've never been to a place where people intentionally kill and harm stray dogs.
