Turkey is planning to change its law so that street dogs can be killed after 30 days without being rehomed. And this is happening while pedigree dogs are being bred for pleasure all over the world. We need to talk about animal welfare.
“dogs are man’s best friends,” they say. Loyal companions, comforting companions for centuries. Who would come up with the idea of killing this best friend? The Turkish government, to my and many other people’s horror.
According to media reports, President Recep Tayip Erdoğan is pushing for a new law that will regulate the treatment of stray dogs. Whereas the motto “catch, neuter and release” was previously intended to reduce the population of street dogs, a resolution is now being proposed that calls for more drastic measures: if the dog is not rehomed within 30 days of being caught, it will be put down.
Catastrophic news. Man as judge of life and death.
I myself own a street dog from Italy, who is in what animal rights activists call “dog hell” and is Kennelswas held captive. These are warehouses full of cages, often with several dogs in one pen, no bed, no bowl, nothing. The four-legged animals live on their excrement, the food is thrown on them. Why? Because the Italian government even pays for it. Per day and per captive dog, so that the Italian streets are free of stray dogs.
The first weeks and months with my dog from the dog hell were hard. For weeks he wouldn’t let me touch him, I couldn’t even take him outside. He wasn’t house trained, wasn’t used to living in an apartment and howled at night for his fellow dogs from the canile.
But after weeks, the knot in him slowly but surely unraveled and he gained more and more confidence. Watching him take a small step towards a happier and more trusting life almost every day was an incredible feeling. For me and for him. This little guy had looked into the abyss and yet agreed to start a new life. After just a few months, he was the sweetest and most wonderful dog you could wish for.
It is not we who give the dogs a second chance, but the dogs who give us humans a second chance
Since I had this experience, the main question I ask myself is: Why do we humans still breed dogs and cats when there are so many little creatures out there who want a home – and who want to be rescued?
We preach tolerance and diversity among people all day long. And that is good, long overdue. But why don’t we treat other living beings the same way? Why do we limit our appeals to our own kind? Why do we ask a dog what its pedigree is, where it comes from, what its fur is? Why does a dog have to meet external characteristics to please us and, in the worst case, to deserve life? I have no understanding for that.
And I also ask myself why I didn’t get a dog from an animal shelter back then, when I was in my mid-20s, instead of a Labrador from a breeder? My answer, which is true but which I am ashamed of today, is that when I bought the Labrador, I didn’t have enough self-confidence to get a mixed breed. It had to be a chic, presentable purebred dog. How pathetic.
The current events in Turkey have naturally caused outrage among animal rights activists. German Animal Welfare Association speaks of “an approach that has been proven not to be successful.” Turkey’s new killing law has already been tried out in Romania, but the number of animals there has not changed since then. Nevertheless, Turkey, blind to all reality, is considering mass dog killing.
We need to talk more about animal welfare
Maybe we should all talk more about animal welfare, question our own actions and desires more. What more can the French bulldog from the breeder give me than the little homeless puppy from Turkey? I can assure you: nothing. The feeling of giving a dog a home that it would never have had otherwise is priceless.
I would like to see the concept of dog and cat breeding reconsidered worldwide. Except for breeds that are used as service dogs, tracking dogs, sports dogs or other livestock and working animals. No, I am concerned with breeds that are only used for aesthetic reasons and are intended to compensate for the starved self-esteem of an owner who wants to boast. Just like it was with me.
Just remember: Every time a dog is bought from a breeder, somewhere the dream of a rescue dog of a nice home dies. And soon the little furry friends in Turkey will only have a countdown of 30 days. So think carefully about whether a puppy or – if you have experience with dogs – an adult dog from an animal shelter could become your best friend.
It is a decision between wanting and being.
And sometimes between life and death.
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