5,000 Miles to Freedom

Well, we did it again.

We brought another abandoned pooch into our home. Only this time, we went international.

Two weeks ago, our newly adopted 2-year old Golden Retriever was 5,000+ miles away in Turkey. Tonight, she’s on our living room couch.

A dear friend of ours made a recent trip to Istanbul and ended up returning with two beautiful dogs that had been abandoned in the streets. Even though she didn’t yet have homes lined up for them, she knew she’d work tirelessly until she found some. Which of course meant calling Heather.

Before Heather even mentioned the dogs, I saw THIS photo update on Laura’s Facebook wall, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to make room.

Whereas most people come home from foreign countries with trinkets and souvenirs, Laura decided to return with two foster dogs. I can’t say it surprises me. She’s a lovely person, inside and out, and those with big hearts often find it difficult to say no. Especially when it’s within their means and capabilities to do something.

So there she sat in the Atatürk International Airport with two pups, turning to social media to try and find homes for them. One was a male black lab and the other was a female golden retriever. Both were purebred dogs, healthy, microchipped, fixed, fully vaccinated, and given a clean bill of health. They even had their own little doggy passports written in Turkish hieroglyphics.

If you’re wondering why we chose to adopt a dog from halfway around the world rather than our local pound if we were looking for another dog, the answer is simple. We weren’t looking for another dog.

But after Laura shared their stories, we made the decision to adopt one of them. The other found a home the very same day.

While abandoned dogs are a problem here in the States, it’s many times worse in Turkey. Especially in the region Laura was visiting where purebred dogs line the streets, lay in front of shops, and walk the alleys in search of food. They’re as common as pigeons but almost treated worse.

You wouldn’t believe how common pet abandonment is over there. Unlike here in the United States where the majority of people treat their dogs as members of the family, dogs are more treated like livestock in that region.

Making it worse are the habits of tourists who visit the posh coastal resorts. Because purebred puppies are regarded as a status symbol, they’ll purchase a dog from one of the plentiful “pet boutiques” in the area (which are as common over there as Starbucks are over here) and gallivant around town with their fancy new puppy.

When their vacation ends, whether it be a few weeks or a few months later, they leave. Taking along their luggage and memories, but leaving the dog behind. In almost all cases, these young dogs are simply walked outside the condo and released into the streets.

As abhorrent as that sounds to you and me, it’s just a different culture over there, and the practice isn’t deemed cruel by most. But fortunately, it is deemed cruel by some, and they’re doing all they can to try and rescue these animals.

The organization she went through, Let’s Adopt Global, works hard to shelter, feed, and foster abandoned or abused animals while also searching for homes in other countries. They search globally but primarily seek families in the US and Germany where long-term quarantine laws aren’t in place.

The golden retriever that we ended up adopting was found emaciated and weak, tied to a post in someone’s backyard. Her ribs were showing and she would flinch or cower if a human approached. She was subsequently rescued and fostered by Laura’s friend until she regained both weight and trust.

She’s a beautiful dog. Very smart, fully housebroken, an absolute love with the children, and playful with our other pets. While perhaps a little TOO playful for our cat Larry’s tastes, she was instantly and immediately “one of us.”

Dory isn’t all that interested in her existence but this dog certainly has an interest in Dory. She tries to play with her but Dory is just too old, too deaf, and too blind to care. Jackson has no interest in playing with the new arrival either but he’s simply too old and too broken to do much more than growl at her. And the cats? Well, they don’t want to play with her at all. As evident by their apparent disdain for being trapped beneath her paws.

Tonight is only her second night but she’s certainly had no problem making herself right at home. She’s a cuddler, a 60-pound lap dog, and you can almost sense her relief and gratitude. She greets us with a happy grin and a wagging tail even if we’re only out of the room for a moment, and she has absolutely taken a great liking to her newest playmate, our 3-year old daughter Kamryn.

It they aren’t playing tug-of-war with a rope, sock, or stuffed animal, they’re outside playing in the snow. Doggy angels, snowball fetch, and just all-out sprints are all on tap.

It’s only been 48 hours and we already love her. Now we just need to name her.

We’re thinking of using a Turkish name but they seem to require pronunciations that sound like we’ve swallowed carpet tacks. Heather found “Zerrin,” which means “Golden” but I just can’t help but have visions of Jill Zarin from Real Housewives of NYC every time I hear it. Nothing against her, but it’s not the vision I want summoned into my brain on a daily basis.

We’re not worried. We’ll figure it out. And besides, she’s patient. She really hasn’t pressed us for a name. Right now she’s perfectly content with us whistling, clapping, and shouting out names like “girl,” “puppy,” and “hey you.”

She’s a wonderful dog and I just can’t comprehend why people wouldn’t consider it cold and callous to purchase a new puppy, let it bond with the family, and then toss it out along with the post-vacation garbage. This kind of traumatic experience just has to break a dog’s spirit.

Fortunately, there are people out there who do all they can to bring it back. And when you consider that less than three months ago this dog was scared, ignored, and malnourished, it’s truly heartwarming to witness the return of a dog’s spirit. Watching as the zest for life they’re born with begins to re-emerge.

And I’ll tell you this straight from the heart. Being the lucky recipients of the unconditional love they’re eager to share? It’s absolutely priceless.

Much like this:

I think what we love most is that there are plenty more memories to come. Both for us and for her. And as strange as it may sound, I think we’re just as grateful as she is.

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