Markus, one of countless Turkish dogs abandoned in the woods to starve to death

The following is a guest post by my lovely colleague and PETA Germany campaigner for homeless dogs in Turkey, Magda.

If I think about my trip to Istanbul as part of PETA Germany's Turkish stray-dog campaign, I immediately think of a little puppy who was named Markus by Turkish animal activists—the same name as my partner.

We found Markus on our way to Beykoz animal shelter, which we knew of because, day after day for several weeks, we had been hearing horror stories about neglected, traumatized, and starving dogs there.

The little pup was about 4 months old, wandering the back roads far away from any civilization. Probably our foundling was one of the hundreds of dogs who had been abandoned in Beykoz's forests. Turkish officials use this inhumane and absolutely counter-productive method to fight the obvious and pervasive problem of dog overpopulation. If these animals are not found by animal activists, they just starve to death.

We stopped the car to take a look at the intimidated puppy. Markus ducked into a corner and tried to make himself invisible. Yasemin Baban, a Turkish animal activist who has been fighting for animals for years and cares for dozens of neglected dogs in the Beykoz forest every day, lifted him up, saw how emaciated he was, and carried him to the car. Markus was almost completely hairless and had gaping wounds all over his worn-out body—signs of the advanced stages of mange. At first, Markus tried to escape from the back seat of the car, so afraid was he of what was to come. However, after he discovered the dog food stored back there, always at the ready for hungry dogs, he changed his mind and gobbled up everything he could get his little paws on.

While I continued on my mission to document the inhumane conditions at the Beykoz animal shelter, puppy Markus was taken to the rehabilitation center of an animal activist group called SHKD. These activists have been fighting for Istanbul's homeless dogs for years under the patronage of Robert Smith. Their work includes neutering as many dogs as possible—the only long-term, humane solution to a reduction in the overpopulation problem. The group's work and its "forest shelter" will remain in my mind's eye as a glimmer of hope. Twenty-four hours later, I was a guest there.

Upon arrival, I could see "my" little foundling recovering in a pleasant, shady fenced-in area along with three other rescued puppies. I tried to raise his spirits by clapping and offering him words of praise, and he shyly wagged his tail. But the look on his face still seemed rather lost, after all he had been through. Although I worried that he might remain traumatized for the rest of his life, in that moment I could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

I was sad and heavy-hearted when I had to leave Markus and the SHKD shelter behind—the only place I saw in Istanbul where dogs have a life worth living. What will happen to all the other dogs on the streets and in the forests who won't be as lucky as the dogs who were found by the animal activists? What will happen to all the dogs wasting away in the horrible conditions of the government animal shelters? What will happen to Markus? Will he recover?

Now back in Germany, I still have to deal with the images I saw in Istanbul. Mother dogs whose puppies died cause they couldn't nurse them; depressed dogs living in the shelters who seemed to have given up and who looked at me with empty eyes; sick, injured, and hungry dogs who had been abandoned in the forests by the hundreds. However, most of the time I think about "my" Markus who—because his illness was too advanced by the time he was rescued—died in the SHKD shelter last Friday, August 8.

If you would like to help stray dogs in Turkey, please contact the Turkish Embassy or Consulate in your country and express your feelings on this subject.