What do you think about Turkey’s possible new initiative to deal with growing numbers of street dogs?
Posted by BarkWuud@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 184 comments
isosileomi@reddit
a means to solve a problem - the only means
RyazanaCev@reddit
I have a dog (which I found in the mountain and adopted) and I love animals in general but this is the only way to solve this ever growing problem- euthanasia but also trough strict state control over dog owners and huge penalties for everyone who throws a dog away or doesn't take care of his animal.
Palmicaa@reddit
How about sterilisation? Killing innocent animals that are not "pretty" enough to be adopted is not going to solve anything when 1 non-sterilised stray dog can make hundrends of puppies a year. The problem should be solved in its root.
ThisExamination9229@reddit
nah doesnt work
scarlet_rain00@reddit
To achieve sterilisation of the whole dog population which is millions you would need thousands of vets and even then it would take years to achşeve anything by the time you sterilize half of them their number would triple and you wont achieve anything. Besides how are you going to reach all of the dogs in rural areas. Your idea is nonsense.
Thymele10@reddit
Calling nonsense something that is a fact, is absurd. What is your background that educates you on calling sterilization nonsense?
capitanmanizade@reddit
You also need thousands of vets and thousands of people to catch the animals to euthanize them after keeping them in containment for 30 days.
Sterilization is the humane thing to do especially in 2024 when we made it mandatory to track house pets with chips, but our country has this weird bloodthirsty mentality for killing things that citizens can’t shake off.
scarlet_rain00@reddit
Wow look dogs in the villages are so nice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS0uReWQpGA
They literally get aggressive due to starvation and pack mentality. You are talking nonsense, do you have any idea why did rabies started occuring and killing people again? Because dogs in rural areas get into contact with wilderness which transforms them into rabid dogs. And when they bite someone, if that person isnt hospitalized and vaccined they will %100 die. There is no cure for rabies once the symptoms start.
And dogs are not cared for in the rural areas just because you see 2 dogs that are taken care of doesnt mean other 200 is. Stop with this delusion.
capitanmanizade@reddit
Sure bro, send me an example with absolutely no context. For all I know that village might have a dog shelter nearby which I already said is a problem.
Doesn’t even make sense that starving rural dog gangs can reach populations of hundreds, more than half wouldn’t make it through winter outside the city.
Palmicaa@reddit
My idea is not non sense. "My" idea is the idea of governments of the countries that no longer have problems with stray animals. :) Oh and you cant reach dogs in rural areas to sterilise, but can reach to kill them? Interesting
Technical-Joke6413@reddit
wealthier countries where you don't have millions of people living in villages with unsterilized dogs in their yarfs breeding non-stop. New puppies are dropped daily where I used to live for that same reason - illiterate owner, got a female dog they used as an alarm, the dog is in their yard and got bred once by accident, the owner needs to get rid of the puppies and doesn't care about anyone but themselves. That's where stray dogs partially come from, unlike in Germany where people are disciplined, responsible, rarely illiterate and mostly live in urban areas, that are actually urban and not false urbanization like in some of the suburbs of less developed countries. I am not racist btw, it's just that you are wearing pink shades and live in a utopia that is hard to recreate in a lot of places...
Palmicaa@reddit
My country has the exact same problem. And nothing will be solved with euthanasia (long term) without strong repercussions for the irresponsible owners. That is what Im saying.
Technical-Joke6413@reddit
Definitely - if there are no strict sanctions for people who dump their dogs and if there isn't some sort of regulation for owning a dog (e. g. mandatory neutering, unless person x intends to make more dogs and to take care of them or trade them etc.), the problem will stay. Sadly the easiest solution is an annual 'purge' and each country takes decisions based on budget and the citizens - if there are literal packs of dogs walking around and threatening children, poorer countries might be forced to resort to not jyst euthanasia but even flat out hunting the dogs if money is tight. It's a sad reality and you can't really do anything about it - the people who become victims of stray dogs are rarely the same people that dump those dogs on the streets...
scarlet_rain00@reddit
Those "governments" had problems and believe it or not they euthenized stray animals and their stray animal population was nowhere near close to the numbers of Turkey's. Turkey has approximately 50.000 veterinarians and millions of stray dogs. Even if veterinarians were to be put on duty of sterilising dogs and dogs only (but their job description spans a lot wider than dealing with stray animals) they would still struggle to keep the stray dog population under control. And since it is hard to reach rural areas those stray animals would keep populating there and they will return back to urban areas in the end. So sterilization wont control the already overpopulated stray animals.
And shelters wont do shit either. How many dogs do you think shelters could handle? Do you have any idea on the amount of resources it takes to keep 6.5 million stray dogs in shelters and provide them with a reasonable conditions?I have 2 dogs and 1 cat and I dont want animals to suffer this but in order to control animal population this has to be done FIRST then they can impose heavy punishment for abandoning animals. Those western countries already had animal rights back in the day. They also went through world war 2 which further reduced stray animal population (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_pet_massacre#:\~:text=The%20British%20pet%20massacre%20was,World%20War%20II%20food%20shortages.)
So in the end considering the overpopulation of the stray animals, dogs in particular they have to be euthenized one way or another. There is neither resources nor the capacity to provide them with good living conditions. Besides there has been reports of rabies from dog bites which further complicates the situation and brings national health concerns into the table. Once their numbers are under control authorities can impose strict rules on pet ownership to prevent the issue.
Also FYI in US they put the stray animal in a shelter and no one adops them in certain time they get put down and they dont have stray animal problem.
If you believe your idea is doable I would like to hear your brilliant ideas of sterilising 6.5 million stray dogs let alone providing them good living conditions in shelters. How would you vaccinate all of them? They require more than one vaccine and those vaccines have to be repeated every year or so which further complicates things.
If you are not going to vaccinate them are you going to let them suffer in the streets with harsh conditions, rabies and various other diseases?
How are you going to catch all of these dogs they require a lot of personnel, equipment, operating rooms, trucks and where do you think those resources would come from? What is your cost estimate for the whole operation?
How long do you think the process of sterilising all of the dogs will take? 2 years? 5 years ? 10 years? If so how are you going to tackle the issue of them breeding nonstop and multiplying like crazy?
What will happen to them once they are sterilizes? Will you dump them back into streets? What happens after that? Do they magically dissappear? Are you going to put 6.5 million dogs in shelters? Would you consider that feasible? Are you going to pay for them out of your pocket money?
Theban_Prince@reddit
So what you are saying is that any captured animals would be tossed into boxes for 30 days without anyone checking up on them?
Neradomir@reddit
People don't euthanise dogs because they are not pretty enough for adoption, they euthanise dogs because you never know which one had a bad day and will bite someone. Almost all dogs don't deserve that, but that's what happens when dogs turn from a necessity into a commodity to humans. It's not dogs fault that people throw them onto streets. Funny thing, the people that abandon their dogs are usually super against abandoning dogs, it's just that "their case is special". People are idiots and dogs pay for that. Wish we could sterilise humans, than to euthanise puppies, but the first one is more inhumane to us than the later
VirnaDrakou@reddit
I am totally in to euthanize rapists and pedophiles as well as those who abuse/assault.
Optimal_Catch6132@reddit
Take my up vote, this idea deserved that
VirnaDrakou@reddit
Thank you comsu, in my opinion if we can euthanize a dog in case that it can attack/bite then a certified criminal should be euthanized too
RyazanaCev@reddit
"The problem should be solved in its root."
This why euthanasia is the decision... You won't care about sterilized or non- sterilized dogs at all. Neither about feeding stray dogs, about stray dogs shitting everywhere or about them attacking people etc.
Palmicaa@reddit
I dont agree. I dont think it is fair actually. Again I dont live there so I dont really know the situation but there are thousands of stray animals where I live also, and I suppose in all of Balkans. So why not just make a law protecting animals - meaning that you cant just leave your dog on the street (which a looot of people do)? Killing al those dogs now wont do anything long term - in a month, lets say 50 people abondon their dogs. Those 50 will turn into 500 in 10 months. And then what? Kill them all over again? Why punish poor animals that are alreade living miserable lives? Why not punish people that made thah possible? This is a short term "" solution"" and its not even a solution, its pure laziness
RyazanaCev@reddit
Bro... I am telling the exact same things in my original post.
Palmicaa@reddit
Yes but im excluding killing :)
RyazanaCev@reddit
In Turkey it is needed. Different sources talk about more than 6.5 million stray dogs around all cities in the country.
Amogus_susssy@reddit
Good lord
Palmicaa@reddit
I also forgot to add that unsterilised male dogs also impregnate stray females, and the owners dont do anything about it
Tasty-Ad3743@reddit
Wow there are many other options available then just killing them. They deserve better and if it's out of control, the govn't should work with rescue agencies.
kandar1969@reddit
If Turkey were to kill all street dogs, it could lead to the following potential outcomes:Increase in Rodent-Borne Viruses: Without dogs, rodent populations might rise, increasing the risk of hantavirus and LCMV, which are carried by rodents.Rise in Mosquito-Borne Viruses: More mosquitoes could lead to higher incidences of West Nile Virus, Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya, as there would be fewer hosts like dogs.Zoonotic Disease Risks: Diseases like leptospirosis (spread by rodents) and potentially even rabies could resurface or spread more easily.Tick-Borne Diseases: Without dogs controlling tick populations, diseases like Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever might become more prevalent.Other Pathogen Risks: Fleaborne viruses and other zoonotic diseases might increase as the ecological balance shifts.In short, the removal of street dogs could disrupt the urban ecosystem, leading to increased risks of various diseases in humans.
Self-Bitter@reddit
This is brutal. Why not consider sterilization instead? I don't know the difficulty involved, but deciding to eradicate thousands of dogs in such a short period on such a massive scale demonstrates a complete lack of effective management. It also shows indifference to the problem until it becomes overwhelming and highlights a rather apathetic civil society.
LankyPossibility1194@reddit
You should know that, the new law has inadvertently led to the killing of street animals by regular citizens. While the law doesn't legitimize these actions, it's being misused, and the government is not intervening.
https://x.com/brlstr1/status/1822657815942451688?t=2xaVLMc0xFZjRIvQn9iocQ&s=19
Zerone06@reddit
Why aren't you concerned about trillions of chickens cows and etc that are being killed if animal killing for human life is such a problem? They don't even euthanise them, just cut them down mechanically.
Is it okay when you eat it? Chinese eat their dogs too, so it should be okay there but not here? I don't know man dogs are getting a real big problem here and no other solution than euthenasia is realistic. In Turkey this was discussed countless times but I don't see sterilization working, it just isn't effective in many aspects.
Self-Bitter@reddit
Ok sell the dog corpses to Chinese and make profit
Zerone06@reddit
I don't care about profit I care about kids not dying wtf
Snappy275@reddit
Dude we have 10 million stray dogs :D???
Self-Bitter@reddit
😳
RelativeAd5646@reddit
There are too many of them and they have to kill other animals because they are carnivores
GumiB@reddit
Because unless you give them vegan dog food, it is pointless to keep them alive as you still have to kill for them to survive, or let them wreck havoc on local animals.
Self-Bitter@reddit
Just sterilize them, mark them, wait for them to heal and let them go. Of course you have to wait for them to die naturally. But that will solve the problem in 5-10 years with no dog mass slaughtering..
GumiB@reddit
And instead there will either be mass slaughtering of local wildlife and threats to people or starvations.
og_toe@reddit
even if you sterilise them they can terrorise people, even in greece i was chased by a gang of dogs as a child and i’ve been stalked several times especially when i’m carrying food.
Self-Bitter@reddit
Υou can take other measures to face dog gangs. Apply stricter measures in these cases maybe. If they had started organized sterilizations like 10 or 20 years ago, the problem would have been much smaller now. it is extremely rare to find stray dogs in the roads of Athens (and Thessaloniki also I think) now because of the management. In some rural areas some problems exist but the real problem lies to certain categories of people's attitude not dogσ..
BarkWuud@reddit (OP)
Well, here in Turkey, we are incapable of seeing the big picture or really giving a shit about anything.
Self-Bitter@reddit
In Greece we have a similar mismanagement, I think back in 2004 a mix of sterilizations, shelters and euthanasia was also used to "clean" Athens. It was much smaller in scale but still caused outrage, although these sensitivities were less regarded back then.. Good news is the the flocks of stray dogs were gradually vanished and now it is a cat-heaven city..
cmeragon@reddit
Honestly, street dogs are a big problem in some parts of the country.
LankyPossibility1194@reddit
You should know that, the new law has inadvertently led to the killing of street animals by regular citizens. While the law doesn't legitimize these actions, it's being misused, and the government is not intervening.
https://x.com/brlstr1/status/1822657815942451688?t=2xaVLMc0xFZjRIvQn9iocQ&s=19
Seltzer100@reddit
I love the stray cats in Turkey and it restores my faith in humanity when I see how well people treat them, but the dogs seem to be a real problem, even in the middle of Istanbul during daylight hours.
I was recently in Kadikoy and while I loved that place, the dogs there were pretty aggressive and territorial at times. I witnessed a kid being chased halfway up a street until the dog fortunately decided to let him go. And the problem is compounded for dog owners who were visibly ultra cautious even when walking their dogs down the opposite side of the road from strays.
To be fair, I really don't trust most dog owners either so I'm not sure how successful adoption of strays would realistically be. I was in a cafe not long ago and there was a group of three people with a small but fairly aggressive dog leashed to the table, right next to the entrance. First it snapped at the hand of one of them. Then a few times it jumped out at other customers who had no choice but to pass within a metre of the table. And the final straw was when an old woman came through the door and fell backwards and onto the footpath because she wasn't expecting to be ambushed by a barking dog the moment she set foot inside. It was only after an argument between the woman's family and the dog owner that they finally decided that they should maybe leave the place and (hopefully) take their dog back home.
gladosee@reddit
Turkey does not have laws to protect animals from cruelty. whatever you see online are made up. There are really few people who take care of animals. Breeders keep throwing cats outside all the time. I lost count of cats we had to take care of because sone neighbor breeder throwing them away. Government does nothing. Now they are going to murder these animals they threw to the streets and still no breeder law. Will happen again in the future. All stray dog attacks are responsibility of these breeders
whocanbeingthat@reddit
Yeah but for every asshole neighbour like that, there is 10 fold of people that care for those abandoned cats. İn every street I grew up in the strays were always cared for well, all our leftovers and other neighbours' leftovers would go to the different packs. This happened everywhere I grew up (4 different cities, many different neighbourhoods), so maybe your experience was just subjectively opposite to mine. Idk have U seen the movie Stray? You saying that's just some propaganda or something lol.
The big issue with this new bill is that there's only enough space for like 100-130k stray dogs in the clinics all around Turkey, and only around 3.5k working veterinarians. There are something like 4-5 million stray dogs. Do the math, it's going to go really bad, really quick.
So when there isn't space for them to be able to do the Catch Neuter Vaccinate Release program that they do, they will have to be killing millions of dogs.
One of the major issues is that this is so against the way so many of us view the strays. Dogs aren't as highly regarded as cats and birds since dogs didn't have such a saving grace by hunting rats and mice during the Ottoman Empire, hence them being revered so highly. The way most of us treat all strays is something that I've always been so proud to share about our people, and it's something that other countries respect us for.
This is just another case of the dictator cunt ruining another good thing that has been established over time and hardship by changing the law just to appeal to the extreme Islamic crowd >.>
SarahTheBlue_@reddit
I've had too many incidents to know that the Kadikoy dogs can definitely be aggressive and territorial.
sendme__@reddit
I went to Istanbul this year and the cat shit and piss smell is everywhere. They don’t belong to the street or any other animal.
Ok-Amount6679@reddit
Cats smell amazing and are clean animals. It’s probably a drunk pissing somewhere, not the cats.
Zerone06@reddit
Have you ever gone to Paris? Or have you ever wandered around a bushes in a European city?
Let me tell you, you will most likely see rats. In Paris they literally march in the street everywhere. In Turkey, with the lack of infstracture, rats could have been a real bad problem. But our cats are simply proven enough in that matter. I would prefer cat shit to fucking rats in every street.
thresholdofquagmire@reddit
You wouldn't know how many run over cats i see everyday they dont live longer than 3 years on the streets animals don't belong to the streets
Luvs2Spooge42069@reddit
The sad reality behind all the memes. One of my favorite kitties just got his hind legs and lower abdomen crushed by a car. It sounds like he’s going to live but he’ll never walk again and will have to have someone replacing colostomy bags for the rest of his life. I think part of the problem is resmarts rocketing down quiet residential roads but either way it seems to me like there’s a lot of suffering that goes overlooked.
mal-sor@reddit
People that get dogs and throw them in the street are the problem.
Extension_Barber_209@reddit
Sure it is. But in Turkey the majority of the dogs you'd see in the streets are stray dogs born in terrible conditions, haven't properly socialized with people and they act as groups trying to "defend" their area just like wolf packs do. The dogs you're referring that people leave in streets actually get dominated by those wild stray dogs. They have no chance fighting against them and they're not capable enough to live in the streets. They're not even that much of a problem we're experiencing in Turkey.
These reasons (living in terrible conditions, not having sufficient interaction with poeple etc.) make those stray dogs more aggressive towards cats minding their own business, childs trying to play in the streets or parks and elders who can't physically defend themselves. They're a serious threat to innocent people unfortunately.
Cactus_Kebap@reddit
Bingo. Humans are the same. But yes, the stray dogs are also a problem throughout the Balkans. Most are peaceful, but some chase bikes and cars... Dogs chasing cars is just dangerous.
Extension_Barber_209@reddit
A couple of days ago, I was on my way home and this huge @ss dog probably 4-5 years old, but you could tell that he was overfed and unhealthy, maybe has many infections etc, all of a sudeen he came up to me, barking like i'm some kind of trespasser lurking in the street that he thinks he owns. Man that was terrifying, he chased me like 100-200m but fortunately i managed to keep relatively cool and walked kinda high tempo. If I have walked slowly or ran, I swear I'd be at the hospital rn. These stray dogs are wild man.
Cactus_Kebap@reddit
Yup ... Can't judge the Balkans with westoid values. Humane/inhumane??? A little girl gets chased by a wild pack of dogs into a canal... But save the puppers? Ok, adopt them all then!
cmeragon@reddit
Well, euthanizing people is a lot more complicated.
Ame_Lepic@reddit
Euthanasia is done by the will of individual. I dont see any willingness in this. “Putting to sleep”, “euthanasia” are flowery words for killing the animals. At least say that you are killing them.
mal-sor@reddit
Same procedure,but takes more space from the city
nesteaseftali@reddit
Turkish here. i’m writing my master’s thesis on this topic. the thing is, the government never fully implemented the capture-neuter-release law it signed in 2004, during erdoğans first term. now that the public is complaining about the number of stray dogs, akp wants to quickly save face without having to go through the trouble of catching and neutering dogs and accepting that they are to blame.
the issue is, systematically killing dogs have been tried countless times in the country since the late ottoman era. it just doesn’t work and you just keep killing and killing dogs. its unnecessarily inhumane. greece and india have seen success with the capture-neuter-release approach but akp municipalities couldn’t be bothered with getting their asses up and care for the wellbeing of both street dogs and their constitutents.
moreover, the change in the law probably will mean that well-integrated dogs living in and cared for in neighborhoods, parks etc. will be killed as well. that’s really unnecessary and cruel.
saying “yeah, let’s kill them” is easy. yet it never worked. the government should become serious about neutering animals instead. i also don’t care what laws most of the europe have. it is a fact that we have a culture of looking after street animals and no piece of legislation will change that.
Sad-Body-5410@reddit
It will never work. Educating people to neuter their dogs is the only way. The government gave money to have a program of neutering and shelters but most of the provinces didn't spend the money on creating shelters and neutering. The government decided that this program hadn't worked, but in reality, in the places that actually used the money for the purpose it was successful. Now people are slaughtering dogs in the most awful ways. No vets, injections but stringing them up and hanging them, cutting their throats and poisoning them. It's not the dogs fault that this is happening. As usual, it's the humans. They can slaughter as long as they like, but until they neuter this will never stop. It's heartbreaking.
NoBodyEarth1@reddit
Thank you for writing a thesis on this. I hope it will be publicly available to educate others. I agree with you. There’s so many problems with culling and is inhumane and doesn’t fix the problem. On top of that, people are aggressive towards them, kids throwing stones at them, provoking them to react negatively and be human aggressive ( some cases it’s unprovoked, there was a camera on a stray dog and it was very hard to watch.) culling friendly ones worsen the problem, leaving aggressive ones to exist because they escape the culler. The list of how problematic this is is long.
LankyPossibility1194@reddit
You should know that, the new law has inadvertently led to the killing of street animals by regular citizens. While the law doesn't legitimize these actions, it's being misused, and the government is not intervening.
https://x.com/brlstr1/status/1822657815942451688?t=2xaVLMc0xFZjRIvQn9iocQ&s=19
LankyPossibility1194@reddit
Since 2nd of August, there is a new law regarding the street animals in Turkey, the street animals, who may be considered as "sick" (even if the sickness can be treated) or "agressive" will be killed. The local municipalities have started collecting the animals and killing them brutally. On the same day, the Instagram is banned throughout Turkey to prevent people spreading the brutality. On 6th of August in Nigde (a city of Turkey), a mass grave found. The animals, some cats and mostly dogs, were buried alive within the last 48 hours. On 8th of August in Altindag (a county of the capital City Ankara) another mass grave found. Within less than 48 hours, a lot of dogs were beheaded and torn apart, some of them even were sexually harrassed, the others were put in sacks and buried alive. Some of the animals were less than a year old. We kindly ask for your help to spread the animal brutality around the world, since the people in Turkey are helpless, the government is banning the social media and the press is in total control of the government.
https://www.instagram.com/freedomfordolphins/reel/C-byPUSICwy/?igsh=MWo4bGFsd3F2YTZmZg==
JelloBright3679@reddit
Sadly most are not “humanly” euthanized.
I follow many local shelters in Turkey and have family there. They say the local gov officials are spreading lies - that these animals are carrying rabies and other diseases which in turn the (not so smart) citizens are using it as an excuse to kill them in horrific ways. The videos from the rescue shelters are terrifying.
As well, they are euthanizing healthy dogs and the remains are thrown in mass dirt graves with some still moving.
It’s a tragedy how this issue is being addressed and I wish there was more coverage on it
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Almost every European country does the same in a way, putting them in an adoption asylum for a few weeks before euthanasia isn't that different.
That being said, it seems they're mostly well cared for in Turkey and way less aggressive than elsewhere, I guess outliers do exist and Turkish people know better than I do.
n0panicman@reddit
The claim that dogs are well cared for is the work of unethical and aggressive fraud groups who share fancy posts to make money out of sponsorships and dog food which they also put it in their pockets.
Thymele10@reddit
Are you for real??? I recently rejoined r thinking people here have serious convos. This is such a beyond imagination idiotic comment that I guess I will end my r aspirations right here and there.
n0panicman@reddit
These kinds of mafia-like associations and organizations pressure celebrities to support them on social media. They declare those who do not support them as enemies of animals and lynch them by directing their own followers. In this way, they gain recognition and credibility. As they gain recognition and credibility, they gain more donations and influence. As their power increases, they reach out to the celebrities or politicians they can reach at a higher level and put pressure on them. This is how they grew. Such associations do nothing but exploit people's feelings and money by claiming to help dogs.
ofaruks@reddit
Don't try to reason with those people, they won't get it.
AslanAnadolu@reddit
Not really. Mainly german funded foundations and pet food companies made it a huge problem by portraying they are well cared and not aggresive. Meanwhile it is a huge problem to deal fast as soon as possible.
gladosee@reddit
pure speculation here. Yeah, Germany is the reason for stray dogs in Turkey. Grow up…
cmeragon@reddit
They are taken care of in more populated cities and districts but they are known to form gangs and pose threat to lone humans in more desolate areas especially at night.
og_toe@reddit
i was chased by a gang of german shepherds when i was 10, my dad had to come beat them
Yo1game@reddit
A domesticated dog tried to attack me when i was seven but my mother noticed and beat the dog with here umbrella
UtterHate@reddit
dude my most terrifying moment in life was going up a street alone at night on the outskirts of town and just as i'm about to turn the corner 20 dogs come trodding down the sidewalk. i wasn't armed and was scared shitless, thank god they didn't pay attention to me and just went on their way, otherwise i would have been dead.
Optimal_Owl_9670@reddit
I studied in Bucharest (I’m from Chisinau). Rented a room from an older couple in a nice villa near Cotroceni. For a couple of years, one of my friends rented the other available room. In order to get home from the subway station to our house we would cross a small park between rows of older villas. There were about 10-15 stray dogs hanging around the area. I wasn’t scared of them so they watched me and left me alone. She was very scared of dogs - they would surround her and relentlessly bark at her. I had to get in between them and pull her away to make sure they don’t attack her. This was in the early 2000s in a nice area of the city, not a rundown dark “mahala”. I love dogs, I have a dog whom I spoil too much, and I still think that if the stray dog population gets out of control, human safety needs to come first, even if it means euthanizing unadoptable dogs.
QuirkyMistake12@reddit
Not really. In Slovenia a lot of shelters have animals there that stay there years. Some dogs are not very adobtable, so they just have them there.
They have “godfather” programme wher you choose not adobtable animal (some are sick, some behaviour problems or just not cute enough) and people donate 10-20€/month for this animal. I am a godfather to a cat that doesn’t like people and it’s not “pretty”.
Gengszter_vadasz@reddit
Why is the cat not "pretty"?
QuirkyMistake12@reddit
Some cats are not as desired. Likw black cat or tabby, white cat with random black dot, cats with missing eye or leg
Thymele10@reddit
It is interesting how passionate some people here from Turkey are against sterilization programs. Dogs live short lives. Especially street dogs. Sterilization DOES work and it is very doable. This is clearly propaganda trying to make people believe that there is no other solution but this monstrous disgusting law.
FRUltra@reddit
Kill them, and cook their meat for the impoverished and homeless. At least put their bodies to use
villagergenocide@reddit
Impoverished people do not want to eat dogs buddy, and also we have plenty of food that is perfectly fine that is wasted that we can give the Impoverished instead.
tutirka@reddit
This is the only rational way to put an end to the stray dog problem considering their number, how often and how many they reproduce. They attack people, spread contagious diseases, cause accidents and will eventually cause a rabies outbreak. They also pose a great threat to nature. Self-claimed dog lovers are responsible for reproducing them in great numbers, trading, throwing them into streets in order to earn money through illegal donations which they do not spend on the dogs anyway.
TodayKlutzy464@reddit
So ya they killed them what gonna happen then ? In couple years same problem . Who is guilty people or dogs ???
Bilal_58@reddit
A child in Turkey contracted rabies as a result of an attack by stray dogs and had to be put to sleep. He was 9 years old. I think I've said enough.
gladosee@reddit
Wow, so you kill anything that caused death of someone? So, one person kills another human. so we kill all humankind???
remzi_bolton@reddit
The username checks out
arnavut_boregi@reddit
do you have an argument?
Theban_Prince@reddit
*24 years ago.
AkaneTheSquid@reddit
Sterilization seems like the more humane way to solve this issue, but I don’t live in Türkiye so I’ll let them decide how to do it
scarlet_rain00@reddit
There are estimated to be 6.5 millions stray dogs some of which are aggressive and carry rabies. I mind you that 6.5 million population is higher than the human population of some european/balkan countries.
gladosee@reddit
that is a lie again. Rabies is not that common and you can eradicate rabies by vaccinating.
AkaneTheSquid@reddit
That’s twice the population of Bosnia, insane
Ing-tur@reddit
Sterilization is the only way to go . It’s not Turkey . It is Erdogan and his ruling party that want to massacre these dogs . The dogs are not stray , that is why they are called “ street dogs” . They don’t chase people . Most live in the city and get along with people. The government should have taken care of dog population like 23 years ago when he came to “ power” . Shops that sell dogs must and has to be shut down . Some people just don’t know how to train a dog , okay throw him out or they get them as puppies and when they grow up they can’t handle it . I grew up differently but the generation ( grandparents) most of them couldn’t imagine having a dog inside a home . Some were okay if it was outdoors . Some considered them dirty , Ofcourse these thoughts are ridiculous to me back then let alone now . We have a growing number of people now that think the way I do and maybe next generation all will learn how valuable these best friends of ours are . I don’t think Erdogan cares at all . He sees them as objects . Turkish people are taxed each year , instead of building bridges , highways or unnessasary airports , he can transfer it to buying proper shelters for these dogs of ours and sterilizing them in stead of murdering them by euthanasia which is gonna cost 4 times more. No dog attracts unless it’s attract by a human , the 2 legged animal .
Ok-Amount6679@reddit
There are millions of strays and not enough veterinarians unfortunately.
AkaneTheSquid@reddit
That’s a fair point, you’d need a shit ton of trained specialists to sterilize 6.5 million strays
rydolf_shabe@reddit
i get the morality of it but where i live strays are actually a problem, i use a motorbike and they are actually chasing me almost everyday
Ing-tur@reddit
Because u r riding a motorcycle or for that matter skateboard . It’s natural instinct for them to chase . To protect themselves and their young . ( the noise factor ) In some dog behavior books they may also see it as “ rabbits “ . My dog lives like a king , like he deserves to live but loves chasing motorcycles even bicycles … most dogs will , they can’t help it .
Yo1game@reddit
Isn't like Turkey known for loving stray cats and stray dogs?
ipnetor9000@reddit
at this point turkey is facing a severe issue with the stray dogs. there needs to be aggressive culling as they are already like pests. even after that the issue won't go away for their numbers are enormous. think about the mice/rat issue. a lot of them still cause issues despite all efforts.
MisteraAt0m@reddit
If the political parties don't start to get crazy over stray dogs in order to gain votes, all will be good I believe.
I got attacked by dogs many times as well on the street, it mostly feels impossible when they are a group and there is only you at night. Makes me remember that one video of the “DAĞILIN LAN” dude.
InvestigatorBig2226@reddit
Strongly for. Cities and towns are for humans, not dogs. Dogs gang up and attack, are noisy and generally undesirable in every way.
og_toe@reddit
stray cats > stray dogs
the cats are mostly scared and run from you but the dogs would probably bite off your leg and not care
XLV-V2@reddit
So I understand they help keep the rat population in check, but what about the native bird populations being decimated by the feral cat populations? This has always been a concern of mine.
On feral dog populations, something should be done to keep the population in check. Sterilization is preferred, but it's a hard process and costly. Routine operations should be done to keep the population in check in some capacity. These dogs are not human friendly like pets in alot of cases.
InvestigatorBig2226@reddit
Stray animals are not "feral"
XLV-V2@reddit
Feral means a wild animal. 😜
International_Yak519@reddit
jail sentences for people who abandon them hard bitter punishment is the best thing to let people stop, and thats already necessary . its not dog fault to be dumped
Generex124@reddit
Abandoned dogs take up a very little part of the stray population here.
Also, flair up!
DeltaObserve@reddit
I completely support this action.
shurdi3@reddit
Here we have a pretty big street dog population. Instead of killing them off the council just takes them, sterilizes them, and let's them off. They're pretty tame and chill, not giving anybody problems, and sometimes they'll let me pet them and we become friends. If they do bite you can call a number to get them picked up IIRC.
10-20 years ago shit was wild though, they were aggressive. We even had a case of someone dying as a result of a pack of street dogs attacking them.
ruber_r@reddit
Question about Bulgaria. Has this large-scale sterilisation of stray dogs visibly decreased their population yet?
redikan@reddit
A chance of adoption/Painless death is much better than them dying of starvation/dehydration/infection or even dying to other dogs
Best_Ad_5550@reddit
Stray dogs are huge problem in Turkey. They are attacking children. Also they causes traffic accidents(they sleeps at roads and drivers are suddenly changing lanes to avoid hitting dogs, causing accidents
Zafairo@reddit
W. we should do the same but the "activists" will probably lynch the government
Snappy275@reddit
In Greece they're attacking too right komşu...
Zafairo@reddit
Yep it's a big problem
Schlabby@reddit
Better than rabies I guess
Positive_Persimmon16@reddit
I don’t know what the solution is but Turkey has to do something. They’ve let this issue get out of control. I’ve been living in Istanbul for the past 8 months and I always have to watch my back for dogs when I go on a run. When there’s a pack of them, I just turn around and hope they don’t notice me.
Melodic-Syllabub-355@reddit
We care for dogs, Government is afraid of rabies from stray dogs or other contaminations.
oyMarcel@reddit
Not from turkey but i agree. Starys have become a big problem. Now they started attacking people in the city(considerably central area) and the state hasn't been doing anything
Naus1987@reddit
Too bad they can't round em all up and ship em to America.
America trys to deal with stray cats by having neuter initiatives. Capture, neuter, and release or adopt out.
International_Yak519@reddit
or let them just be a snack for coyotes wolf cougars…
XLV-V2@reddit
Fucked up fact of the day: you could get admission to the London zoo back in the early 19th century (?), I'm strawing a blank on the specific timeframe, by bringing a feral cat/dog that would be used as fodder for the animals in the zoo.
1Heineken@reddit
as a turkish person who also loves animals had dogs and still want one that is the only way and they are quite late to start doing it
puzzledpanther@reddit
My city pretty much solved their stray dog problem by capturing, neutering and releasing them back if they don't get adopted.
They only euthanize in rare situations after the specific case has gone through a specialized board.
They also run a continuous adoption campaign with almost weekly gatherings for the public to get acquainted with the dogs up for adoption.
However that takes effort and actually giving a shit about the wellbeing of the dogs. Indiscriminately killing strays is a lot easier/cheaper.
Ok-Amount6679@reddit
I think that is definitely the best solution but there are millions (like 5-10M) of stray dogs on the streets and there are simply not enough veterinary staff to be doing that so it’s not feasible.
Experience_Material@reddit
aren't Turks always boasting of how good they are with strays?
-lethifold-@reddit
It is required.
melodicalgb@reddit
Of course that's a shame. But something must finally be done in relation to safety! How often did I run for my life from aggressive stray dogs as a child. Once I walked to the beach and past a couple of puppies. Then the mother dog came running after me aggressively. It's a good thing I made it to a veranda.
International_Yak519@reddit
jail sentences for people who abandon them. its not dog fault to be dumped
fairysession@reddit
I support a stray dog genocide
Best_Ad_5550@reddit
Queen
moderjebac@reddit
Pod hitno trebaju da se izvrsi kastracija i izvade zubi
kaantechy@reddit
Literally no different many of the other European countries laws.
Took some fucking child on 23rd April to tell Erdogan to make it a law.
Fucking Finally.
kekobang@reddit
It's still more compassionate, they wait for 7 days in Germany and France.
tbf it's not Erdoğan's fault. Leftist aunts would go fuckin nuts if he tried this without an incident like this. (there still were kids mauled but not this big on social media)
TextWhich@reddit
and we'll wait for 30 days
arisaurusrex@reddit
Even though westerners can't comprehend how serious this issue is at some places, I think it is a good thing. Man as kids we had some really close encounters with those dogs and they sure weren't vaccinated...
It is the only solution, in my old hometown they started an initiative and things were great, but then came the "animal protectors" and now it is running rampant again.
Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit
Sell them to Korea
UtterHate@reddit
business is booming
M00NFALC0N@reddit
For real
ofaruks@reddit
Cruel but necessary
CamperKuzey@reddit
Street dogs are a massive mixed bag. Some are absolute sweethearts but others bite children for fun. Your opinion on this will largely depend on personal experiences rather than whether it's a humane or necessary solution.
I agree with the decision. But I wish systems would be put in place so they don't take away the good ones. I have very fond memories of playing with them as a kid.
HaoGaoche@reddit
Dog genocide never forget!
Ame_Lepic@reddit
We can do better than westoids. I am against the mass killings.
albadil@reddit
What can be done about so many? I've heard ten million, don't know how accurate that is but every part of the country seems to have too many to be safe for walking around comfortably.
Short_Finger_3133@reddit
Too many My friend too many . unlike cats they are both dangerous and not clean.
costantinrussia@reddit
I doubt whether they going to use lethal injections given the high costs associated with such procedures. This situation reminds me of an incident happened during the Ottoman Empire. French make-up Industry demands dogs in the Ottoman Empire for animal testing. However, the French changed their minds and did not take the dogs and the dogs that were collected by Ottomans (80,000 dogs) were transferred to this island and they perished from hunger. Such a dark tale of humanity.
Short_Finger_3133@reddit
Yeah Anyway
TastyRancidLemons@reddit
Would activists be crying if these were wolves or lions roaming the streets in ravenous packs?
I support the Turkish initiative on this one, the people are in danger and we have an obligation to put their lives first.
_Social-Creditor_@reddit
Always think of this video when I hear about stray dogs
Atatick@reddit
Street dogs are a major issue, at least in Istanbul, and I would assume elsewhere also. They need to do something cause people are being attacked by packs of street dogs. They should capture them all and relocate them to a very rural area to live out their lives as nature intended.
Dizzy-Item-9175@reddit
Big packs of street dogs are very dangerous, they've killed a lot of kids back when there was a huge problem with them.
Tough times calls for hard solutions
Devoika_@reddit
I love dogs and I hate that this is the only option remaining, but this is no different than what many other countries do and activists who fight against this have never experienced the fear of being chased or attacked by stray dogs
Gertice@reddit
In the capital of my country, you can get 50€ per month for every stray dog that you adopt, with the limit being 250€ per month (so 5 dogs). It was passed by the municipal assembly two years ago but so far It doesn't seem like it has achieved much success.
VARCrime@reddit
Just call Chinese folks and make them all a dinner
Swimming-Dimension14@reddit
We already did it, streets much cleaner now from them.
ettamereaussi@reddit
Its not that deep its just stupid mutts lol
zabickurwatychludzi@reddit
what about cats? Aren't they as much of a problem?
og_toe@reddit
can’t don’t usually chase people in gangs
BarkWuud@reddit (OP)
Not at all, cats do not attack humans in gangs.
sbbayram@reddit
plus they are the reason why we dont have rats in our cities unlike other european cities.
grudging_carpet@reddit
Scientific researches tells us the other way. Cats tend to pursue easier targets like birds and small rodents.
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/contrary-to-popular-opinion-cats-no-good-at-catching-rats.htm
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/biology-reference/ecology-articles/cats-vs-rats-nope-03102018/
Fit-Proposal-430@reddit
Not to long ago a 9 years old child died because of these stray dogs. This solution is not pretty but there is a lot of them in Turkey and we need to do something about it.
desiderkino@reddit
at least once a month i see a news article about stray dog seriously injuring or killing someone. i don't see any other way
BreakfastKebab@reddit
I love it. I got chased by those fuckers twice and almost got hit by a car.
og_toe@reddit
not only in turkey tbh i’ve been stalked several times one time i was carrying food and a gang of fucking 10 dogs followed me all the way home, i was about to piss my pants
BigBaibars@reddit
LMFOAOAOOAA why tf is our life so messy
Perfect-Relief-4813@reddit
We also have stray dog problem in Armenia, and it's pretty bad in some parts. Not sure how it is in Turkey. When I point out that euthanasia is a wide spread practice in most places (Europe included) people disagree with it.
The situation is not also about people getting pets and dropping them on the streets because owning pets is actually pretty uncommon in Armenia. It's about how street dogs just multiply on the streets without control. They should be taken to shelters, but some of them should get euthanised. Ofc, it's not gonna happen in Armenia any time soon due to budget and potential backlash from locals.
Seltzer100@reddit
Yeah, I remember seeing a thread on the Armenian sub where a visitor was asking about jogging on the street in Yerevan and people pretty much told him to either join a gym or be ultra careful because the street dogs might react unpredictably to someone running past them.
GumiB@reddit
The most humane way of dealing with dogs is in a shelter with vegan dog food. If vegan dog food isn't an option, it is better to euthanize them than to feed them with meat.
TLT4@reddit
Domestic dogs do not belong into the wild.
kondorb@reddit
It’s an ecosystem. Which means as long as there’s at least a small number of dogs left they’ll always rebound to the number limited by food availability.
This is a never ending battle that cannot be won by shooting or sterilisation. Although the latter is more effective - sterilised dogs still consume the limited supply of food.
_veneps@reddit
based turkey, there were cases here were kids and women were killed by stray dogs
anemonaeae@reddit
I hate this sorry
Profile-Dry@reddit
"Oh no, we are not gonna earn much as fuck money anymore. We should go against them even if there are many as fuck street dogs and most of them attack people."
The5thGreatApe@reddit
Looks like a cruelty but since nothing has been happening this seems the only way. In Athens, this problem has been solved years now not in its suburbs though. They never told us where all these dogs end up but I don't think they all remain and stay alive in a shelter...
BigBaibars@reddit
Meow Ülkücü Partisi is finally taking some steps. No wonder why CHP had a cat in their building, apparently it was their leader trying to plan this policy. Talk about effective lobbying.
The Young Turks may have lost power, but The Turkish Cats are only growing stronger.
Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit
That’s what they did in Sarajevo. I remember as a kid the apartment building had like 20 stray dogs, now there’s only 1.
GSA_Gladiator@reddit
I mean it has happened to me to get chased by one, so I am ok with the decision
fegeleinn@reddit
Finally, some sensible decision. Dogs do not belong to the streets. Not only they are a safety concern for kids, but they also live miserably.