NEWS

Poisoning!   (Yes, we have!)

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Three Akayaka Dogs Go To Germany!

Bal (Honey) and Badem (Almond) were dumped in our village in early 2006. Each of them was neutered and vaccinated and then we started to look for new homes for these two lovely dogs.  They are now happily settled in different parts of Germany and much of the searching was done through Rosi Ohle’s wonderful website  (http://www.conchis-tierhilfe.de) and we are so grateful to her for the work she does.  Originally, Rosi, who spends much of the summer months in this area, wanted to find homes for ‘disabled’, elderly or chronically ill street dogs to give them some relief from their past hardships.

Another lady, Semiha was also looking on Rosi’s website because she had taken in a street dog, Çapkın (Skirt Chaser!) who had one back leg that was quite useless and Semiha had heard about Rosi’s help with finding a sympathetic home. So all three dogs were chipped and while we were waiting for responses Bal was looked after by Mrs Gül and Badem went to Uschi’s home and Çapkın was with Yasemin.  Eventually things worked out and in November 2006, Yasemin and Anita took all three dogs by plane to Germany!  All of them have settled down very well and been accepted by both the new human families and the dogs already in those homes!  Bal is living with Nicole and her sister Helen (friends of Yasemin) who live near Munich (with two other dogs) and Badem went to one of Rosi’s friends, Tamara, who lives in Hanover. Tamara had lost her own dog a few months before but when she saw the photos of Badem she decided to take her. Again, Badem has settled down happily there!

Our Çapkın is in Stutgart with Petra who works in an Animal Welfare Organisation, and is now one of three dogs in the family. Petra tried to arrange an operation to restore use of the back leg but the injury was too old and vets suggested amputation would be the best solution. This was done and Çapkın is now running around quite happily on three legs!!

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Yet Again - Poisonings!

In the winter months from time to time the usual poisoning of dogs took place ... Vet Hasan’s prompt response for help when we called him for these emergencies, saved several of these poor animals but sadly we lost Wolfi and Aykız. Not only the animal lovers of Akyaka condemn these cruel acts, but we hear from so many residents who are upset and think that this is barbaric. The perpetrators should be named and shamed.

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Needed – A Care Unit For Puppies!

Another regular winter event is the ‘dumping’ of pregnant bitches and unwanted puppies (mainly female) in Akyaka .... they are brought here from surrounding villages presumably because they think that animal lovers here will solve their problem. Mrs Makbule and Mrs Aysel take care of so many of these and after giving parasite tablets and their first injections these good ladies look for homes. All new owners are told that they MUST neuter their new pets (as the law in Turkey now requires this for street dogs) and local vets will usually reduce their fees. Our group also takes them to FHHD on one of our regular ‘runs’.  If only we had a care unit here supported by our local Council.

Our next story shows that it isn’t just outlying villages that believe in ‘dumping’

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How The Gökova Council Rounds Up Street Dogs And Why We’ve Protested Against It!

At the end of April someone brought news to our ‘secondhand table’ at the Wednesday market in Akyaka that Gökova Council had been ‘collecting’ unwanted street dogs, using a stun gun (Yes that nice little village with the Saturday market ...) We went to question the Council there and found that the Mayor was ‘out of town’ but we asked what they were doing with these dogs they had ‘stunned’.  We were told what we half guessed – they were being taken outside far from the village and when we warned them that this was now against the law in Turkey, they promised that they would suspend this practice until the Mayor came back when he would be consulted. There had been a mother and her pups living in the market area but after being ‘stunned’ the mother disappeared and has never been seen again. Her puppies have survived but have severe mange which Vet Hasan is treating. Sema Meral made a follow-up visit and asked about the disappearance of this mother and she learned that perhaps the bitch had received too large a dose in the stun gun and had probably died. Sema also found part of the stun gun and with this evidence there have been several complaints to the courts about the whole ‘collection’ system.  These have been made to the Mayor of Gökova himself, the Ula Court, the Muğla Governor and the Provincial Director of Muğla’s Protection of Nature Department.

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Regular Control Of Parasites For our Street Dogs!

Every 3 months all our dogs are given Paradix plus to control ticks and fleas. This spring Annegreta brought us ‘Frontline’ as a donation for which we thank her so much.  This kind of help from our summer visitors (whether for a couple of weeks or several months) really helps us keep the dogs clear of parasites and no threat to all the people on our beach!

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Akyaka’s Mayor Helps With The Supply Of Combination Rabies Vaccinations!

Every year the provincial vets come to Akyaka and we collect those dogs needing rabies injections or a renewal jab – they are also wormed if necessary.  But now thanks to our Mayor Ahmed Çalçı we now have a combination Rabies Plus vaccination with which the Council will continue to supply us. Thanks also to Vet Hasan who you will see in the pictures administering this new vaccine down near the beach!

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Cesur (The Brave) – Previously Wölfi – Is Rescued!

In the forest around Kozlukuyu a severely injured dog lay only half alive after being paralysed from some accident.  A kindly citizen alerted us to this situation and we found this poor animal who had survived by eating its own faeces. Wolfi was brought (to Yasemin’s) home and looked after for several weeks After cleaning his open wounds and trimming matted hair (and giving him the love he so deserved) thorough check ups and xrays followed and it was found that this brave little dog, Wolfi (now renamed Cesur - Brave!) had broken his 3rd vertebrae.  Never to be defeated, we found a wonderful website supplying wheels for similar dogs ... This is http://www.wheelchair-dogs.com/) and the main organisation operates from Holland (but the website shows links in the UK as well) and is run by Vivienne and Harco Jans.  When they heard Cesur’s story they immediately offered us wheels for our little dog FREE of CHARGE! Within a few days another Dutch lady, Ellen Dijkman, who is a regular visitor to Akyaka, had made all the arrangements in Holland with the suppliers and after only two days the wheels arrived here in the village at Melek and Yakup’s home! This lightning delivery was because Melek’s brother, Diederic, was flying to Turkey that week and could bring the wheels! Very soon Cesur was taken to the beach and ‘attached’ to his new apparatus. Once again he was mobile and ‘running’ around the beach! From the photos you can see how quickly and how happily Cesur adapted to this wonderful gift! Harco Jans is willing to help in any similar circumstance. How lucky that email, Skype, and animal lovers can so quickly get together in an emergency like this!

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Mrs Anita Sets Up Kitten Care In Her Home

 In our village it is really hard to control the cat population as so many are wild or semi-wild. This year Anita heard so many reports of abandoned kittens in dustbins and by the road side that she has set up a care station in her home (see the photos of Anita and the kittens) where they can be hand fed with special nourishing food – until new homes are found.  But where can we find such homes?  What is needed is for a mobile clinic (like the dog clinic that came twice yearly from 2001 until 2004) to visit Akyaka to neuter these mothers and thus check this over production of kittens! Another summer visitor Annegrete has also brought us a cat trap which she is using in the top part of the village to catch cats for neutering.

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Our Neutering Program Continues Apace!

 MEANWHILE - Our visit to FHDD where Vet Emre performs his skilful operations on the dogs (and some cats) continue every few weeks and nearer to home Vet Hasan at Karya Clinic gives us his support whenever we need him for emergency sterilisations.

When you read all this you will agree, I’m sure, that whilst we thank our Mayor for the help he gives us we desperately need more help with

Further action to find the perpetrators of the poisoning of our animals

Control of ‘dumping’ in Akyaka from outlying villages

Help with organising a clinic to visit Akyaka and neuter our street cats

If only people could understand that each ‘registered’ street dog that dies has had between 100 and 200 YTL ‘invested’ in its sterilisation, parasite control, rabies injections, not to mention our petrol costs to FHDD!  When our dogs die off then another batch turn up needing all this attention over again!

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 POSTSCRIPT

All these stories were written originally by Yasemin Ilseven who has sadly decided to leave Akyaka and move to the Cesme peninsular near Izmir.  She has worked so long and hard for the Akyaka group and had so many unwanted/sick/ poisoned dogs in her home here and we all wonder how we can manage without her ... The WE in the stories is usually Mrs Anita and Yasemin - Anita is a qualified nurse who is always out helping in our many emergencies.  I hope that this 2006/7 update will encourage our British visitors to email us and perhaps bring medicines out to us when they visit.  And if you are here don't forget to talk to us at the Wednesday Market second-hand stall (mornings only). 

SEE YOU THERE - Jane

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