HELP US BRING THEM TO AMERICA! They’re known as Turkey’s Forgotten Dogs. Upwards of 50,000 dogs are homeless and roaming the streets or living in the forests of Istanbul. It’s estimated that approximately 1,000-2,000 of these orphaned dogs are Golden Retrievers. These gentle dogs are found hiding under cars, under shrubs or in garbage dumps, foraging for food and hiding from the feral dog packs that prey on their gentle nature. There are very few “senior” golden retrievers in Istanbul – they don’t live that long. The picture shown on the left is from one of the shelters in Istanbul. Is this how we want Goldens to live?
BACKGROUND Goldens “used to be” a status symbol in Istanbul. But then they became too popular and their desirability was lost. They’re routinely purchased as birthday or wedding gifts from pet stores for about $130.00 (USD). Some are purchased as an amusement for the children while on vacation; when the vacation is over, the family returns home, leaving the dog behind. They live in outdoor gardens since dogs are considered unclean and can’t be inside the home. When they’re no longer a cute little puppy they’re turned loose into the streets to fend for themselves, joining the packs of other dogs foraging for food in dumpsters, trash cans or, if they’re lucky, from the bags of kibble dumped on the ground by concerned volunteers. They’re mostly young – under 5 years old. The older ones either succumb to the elements or are killed by the feral dog packs.
HOW DID GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE BECOME INVOLVED? A concerned American living in Istanbul saw these roaming dogs and contacted Adopt-A-Golden Atlanta asking for help. After an exhaustive four month process, the first 36 Goldens set foot on American soil In May 2015. Golden Re-Triever Rescue, Inc. (GRRI-NJ) heard of this rescue effort and decided that it was our responsibility to help. Across the country, purebred Goldens surrendered to rescue groups have dwindled but adoptees willing to open up their homes and their hearts for this wonderful breed has not declined. What a perfect match. Get dogs that desperately need a home matched up with families desperately wanting a golden. To date, 36 golden retrievers have been re-homed in the tristate area. The National Rescue Committee of the Golden Retriever Club of America supports this rescue effort as there are no Golden Retrievers being put at risk in the United States because of this rescue. Almost all of the 95 Golden Retriever rescue groups across the country have waiting lists of approved applicants waiting to adopt. No local Goldens needing help are turned away.
WHEN Our third transport of dogs will arrive at JFK International Airport this spring. While still in Turkey, they’ll be given a health check by a veterinarian; microchipped, vaccinated for rabies, distemper, Canine Influenza, and issued a health certificate and travel passport. All of the dogs will have been neutered or spayed. They’ll be flown directly to JFK via Turkish Airlines cargo in a pressurized, air conditioned/heated transport plane suitable for live animals.
Rescue volunteers will be on hand to greet them. After being walked, given water and of course treats and lots of love, they’ll be transported to the American Legion Post in Thornwood, NY for an overnight stop before being moved to Grace Lane Kennel in Ossining, NY. One of our rescue friendly veterinarians, Dr. Joseph Zuckerman at Ardsley Veterinary Associates in Ardsley, NY, will examine them, perform wellness blood work, SNAP 4DX testing (for heartworm and Lyme/Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis), fecal testing and urinalysis. Based on his findings they’ll receive whatever other medical care that they might need. Surprisingly, most of these dogs are very healthy. They’ll also be temperament tested using the ASPCA’s Safer Test.
Then it will be time to go to their forever homes. We don’t want these dogs spending longer than necessary in the kennel. They’re used to roaming freely and the confinement could be very stressful to them.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? In order to continue to save the Golden Retrievers in Turkey, we'll need your monetary support. Please visit our website to make your donation. www.grrinj.org. Click on the donate tab and then click on the Turkey Dog Rescue Mission link. We've established three levels of sponsorships to help these dogs in desperate need of rescue. • • •
$1,000.00 will help fund the airfare costs; $500.00 will go towards their veterinary care, collars/leashes/beds, Airline quality crate rentals; A general donation in any amount will be used where needed to support this critical cause
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ADOPTING ONE OF THESE ORPHANED GOLDENS? We want all our dogs to find loving forever homes. Because they've spent so much time either on the streets, in the forests, or in shelters, we've had to set mandatory adoption criteria.
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Someone who will be home most, if not all of the time. If the applicant works, then a pet walker must be hired to come in during the day to walk/exercise them. These dogs will need patience and understanding as they adjust to living in a new country and a new home. They don't understand the English language but we’ve found that this has not been an obstacle. We do provide a Turkish to English translation sheet to all of our adopters but none have found it necessary. A fenced yard - no invisible fences. These dogs are used to roaming and need to be kept safe and secure; No children under 8 years old. We have no history on these dogs, and while they are extremely social, we are treating them as shelter dogs; Adoptees must live in our service area which is NJ, Westchester County, NY and Rockland County, NY, or a Home Visit must be conducted by one of our sister rescues in the Golden Retriever National Rescue network
To submit an application to adopt, click on the Adoption Application page of the website. Normal adoption application processing will apply. There will be a non- refundable $10.00 application processing fee; a phone
interview will be conducted, a home visit may be required. There is no guarantee that you will be able to adopt one of these ‘Turkey Dogs’. OUR ADOPTION FEES FOR THESE DOGS: Because of the significant cost of rescuing these dogs and bringing them to America, we've established the following adoption fee. Under 12 months of age as estimated by our veterinarian $800.00 Over 12 months of age: $600.00
PLEASE --- HELP US HELP THEM.
(Left) This is Davey Crockett, formerly Goldie. Goldie was found beaten almost to death, laying in the gutter on a street in Izmir, north of Istanbul. His head was badly swollen, several teeth were kicked out, others fractured stumps broken down to the gum line. It was clear if he would survive such a brutal attack – all because he was a dog. He did survive, came to America in September 2015, and lives with one of our volunteers and several other golden retrievers in NY. (Right) This is Davey Crockett enjoying his first snowfall. Hendrix, formerly Tartan, was found hiding under some trees in Istanbul. His family moved away and left him behind. He wandered into town and hid, trying to avoid the roaming dog packs. A volunteer out scouting for Goldens saw his tail sticking out from under the bushes and brought him to safety. He’s now enjoying all the comforts of home - with a bed in every room – with his new family in NJ. GRRI-NJ is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization run entirely by volunteers. Website: www.grrinj.org Hotline: 973.208-7414 PO Box 104, Pleasantville, NY 10570-0104
